Just Hang in There
by thismakesmeunknown8D
Summary: Light eyes painfully opened, mind immediately working to take in the current surroundings. She wasn't entirely sure what exactly transpired-but what she did know was that she needed to get out of here now!
1. Prologue

**Hellooooo! So~ Thought I'd attempt a story! Whoo 8D This is clearly just the prologue. But hopefully you like it! **

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Naruto. Though, that's probably good since I'm sure it's a huge responsibility… and I personally wouldn't like to receive all the metaphoric hate mail that everyone claims to send Mr. Kishimoto. All those death threats? No thank you. So I will settle for sitting here-in my room- typing up this wonderful story [cough]. **

**Prologue:  


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**

Light eyes painfully opened, mind immediately working to take in the current surroundings. It was dark save for the dim glow of… fire? Where did the fire come from? Instantly something snapped in her head, everything… everything that happened prior flashing through her head. She wasn't entirely sure what exactly transpired… but what she did know was that she needed to get out of here, now!

Without allowing herself time to think much further, her eyes found the door across from her and that's all she needed. Carefully she stood to her feet, legs shaking the slightest bit as she did so, and quickly darted for the door.

As if on cue, just as her hand reached out to grab the handle, the door swung open and caused her to stumble back, nearly landing on her rear. Gasping, she caught herself and turned her focus on the form standing before her. A man. He stepped forward, and she stepped back. He smirked and stepped forward again, and as expected, she stepped back again.

As the man stepped into the dim lighting, her eyes widened the slightest bit in recognition.

Smirking menacingly, he met her gaze and folded his arms in front of his chest. "Hello,…Sakura was it?"

* * *

There was a weird sound… unfamiliar. It sounded close… almost like pounding? It sounded so muffled though. It was hard to distinguish it.

Now a voice… it sounds like a voice. Also muffled…

"Hinata" so quiet… "Hinata" some more pounding… She then felt herself being shaken by the shoulder. She could barely feel it… the ringing in her head finally vanished and the surrounding sounds suddenly filled her head… loudly; too loudly. Her face scrunched in discomfort and her eyes painfully fluttered open, only to be overwhelmed by a bright light. There was a quiet crying sound beside her and she slowly turned her head. Groaning she placed her hand on her head. "Akamaru?"

"Hinata!" She looked to her other side to see the worried and angered face of her teammate…

"Kiba?" She questioned, keeping a grip on her head and sitting forward. 'Where am I?' she thought to herself and looked around. There were some buildings near them, but the further she looked on, the more trees there were. Her seconds of observing were soon interrupted by that same booming voice.

"Hinata… what the hell are you doing?" Kiba asked, staring at her intently, clearly frustrated and confused.

She continued to look ahead at the woods, pieces finally fitting together. "Wh-what time is it!" Hinata asked, a little more loudly than usual.

Kiba raised an eyebrow and looked to Akamaru. "About 6 in the morning? I came out here to take Akamaru for our morning walk… and I see you laying here, passed out on the ground…!"

Hinata barely heard the rest of his expanded answer … "Sakura…" She said quietly under her breath.

Kiba still stared at her…confused. "What? Sakura…-?"

"-Sakura! We-we need to get help!" She almost yelled, a new emotion overpowering her.

* * *

**Mhmmm…so there you go. A quick teaser! 8B Keep an eye out for chapter 1! Byez byez!**


	2. What Happened?

ALAS~ I bring forth chapter 1!

**Disclaimer: **Sadly, I do not own Naruto. Though, that's probably good since I'm sure it's a huge responsibility… and I personally wouldn't like to receive all the metaphoric hate mail that everyone claims to send Mr. Kishimoto. All those death threats? No thank you. So I will settle for sitting here-in my room- typing up this wonderful story [cough].

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**Chapter 1:**

It was like any other day for the young kunoichi. With the exception that Sakura had been assigned a mission that she was to go on tomorrow, along with one of her close friends, Hinata. They were to go to the hidden mist village and escort a couple of men to an important…business type of-party thing. Yeah… Basically, they were there for show, and to make the men look good in front of their colleagues… Oh, the nerve of some guys! Sakura had been rather annoyed when she was informed of their assignment, but what could she really do? Nothing. She could do nothing. It was just how these kinds of things went. So she made plans to go shopping later that afternoon with Hinata and pick out some really cute accessories!

…What? They were girls too after all! Might as well try and have fun.

Sakura's day went according to her usual schedule. She spent the majority of it working her shift at the hospital, but Tsunade had let her out early so that she had a little time for herself before departing in the morning. It was quite generous, and really appreciated.

So, she did just that. She used the afternoon to do just as her and Hinata had planned; and they went all over town doing what girls do best. They shopped! They had been given a budget to work with and definitely used it to their advantage. They were able to buy some absolutely gorgeous evening gowns and shoes! It wasn't every day they were able to dress up like this, so she absolutely relished in the idea of being able to do so. And she had to admit, the two of them looked amazing in their selected dresses…

Next on their list was to purchase wigs. Yes, wigs. They were to play the part, the whole nine yards. They weren't to be recognized. And especially Sakura, with her pink head of hair, would be very recognizable.

"How about this one?" Sakura asked as she placed on a wig and made a comical face. It was dark green with long side bangs and a short cut in the back.

Hinata scrunched her face slightly and shook her head.

Sakura pursed her lips... contemplating. "Hmm.." She then picked up another one. It was dark blue and had a long side ponytail with elegant curls. "Aaand…this one?" She asked, pointing at it with her fingers.

Hinata stared at her for a moment as she really seemed to consider it, but ended up just shaking her head in protest.

Sakura huffed and placed the dang thing back in its original holder before folding her arms across her chest. "Well what would you suggest then?" She asked, clearly frustrated. They had already found a nice wig for Hinata. It was almost bleach blonde in color and had long flowing curls. It really brought out the lightness of Hinata's eyes…it was simply just stunning on her. Sakura however…well, she just couldn't pick one!

Hinata looked thoughtfully at the selection and eventually her eyes focused on one in particular. She didn't know why she hadn't seen it before! Carefully she picked it up and handed it to Sakura.

"I think this one is perfect for you!" She smiled brightly. Sakura raised a thin eyebrow and put on the head of hair. She looked in one of the mirrors and smiled. It was jet black and completely straight. The length of it just barely hung past her chest, and had a razor cut bang that went straight across. It looked wonderful! And apparently Hinata agreed because she wouldn't stop smiling.

Sakura bought the wig and the two of them continued onward. Everything was running smoothly and according to plan. The two of them had gotten dinner and talked-which they rarely were ever able to do. I mean, yes, they saw each other quite often… but it was almost always strictly business. Sakura couldn't remember the last time the two of them were able to sit down and just…talk. It was something that people took for granted. But when you live the life of a shinobi… it just wasn't something you had the chance to do. Well, needless to say, they had lost track of time and it had gotten late; later than anticipated.

The two girls stepped outside of the restaurant and took notice of the street lights that were now on. Oops! Well, it was worth it at least. But it was time they headed back. And they did…

It was rather quiet though… and it was a weeknight; so most people were already asleep in their homes knowing they would have their own jobs to attend in the morning. And most of the people who were still out and about were kinda… drunk. Ugh. What a pain.

They continued some small chit chat that had them all giggly, but when Sakura said something that she thought was particularly funny, And Hinata looked around frowning, Sakura raised an eyebrow and looked at her with an expression of total confusion… "What's up with you?" She asked simply.

Hinata shook her head and discretely continued to check her surroundings. "S-something's wrong…" She answered quietly and tried to relax.

She figured maybe she was just being paranoid…It was understandable that she would be reacting this way, Sakura now felt it too… She knew it was cliché, but it was quite empty on the streets…and it was dark… and you just expect trouble under these circumstances. They tried not to worry any further though. They were ninja, and were fully capable of defending themselves.

A little more time went by, and the uneasy feeling had not yet disappeared; which usually wasn't good. Some call it a woman's tuition, but call it what you will… it did not feel good. Hinata stopped dead in her tracks and turned slightly.

"Byakugan…" She whispered. After a moment, Hinata frowned deeply and continued on as normal, acting as though nothing was out of the ordinary.

Sakura knew better and caught on immediately. "What is it, Hinata?" She asked, appearing casual.

"There are four men following us…" she answered so quietly that she was barely audible.

Sakura frowned and continued to look ahead. Fantastic… and there was nobody around. Well, she figured they were just some average men… hopefully they'd get out of this easy enough. They didn't want to hurt the poor guys though. It wouldn't be a fair battle. They were ninja! And besides, they probably drunk; so they most likely didn't know what they were doing.

There was a long- a very long- silent pause until a male voice suddenly spoke up. Actually, there was even a whistle in there.

"What are you lovely women doing out late at a time like this?" The man asked smoothly.

Sakura and Hinata turned to face the voice and were met with two men standing behind them. They had this… air about them. The way they were standing… they seemed… arrogant. This annoyed Sakura, and apparently it was clear on her face because the guys started to laugh amongst themselves. Oh yes, so funny… this was just such a party! A wonderful time! She caught the other man smirking and looking her over, and she clenched her fist at her side. It was easy to say that it was kinda pissing her off.

They instantly felt the presence of the other two men behind them now. Hinata turned to look behind and saw one of the guys smirking at her as well. She blushed faintly and quickly turned back around, looking to Sakura and then at the two before them again.

"L-look… we really don't want any trouble…" She said softly, making brief eye contact with theses strangers.

"Oh, I know you don't." One of them said as he took a step forward, then another.

Sakura noticed he was taking his time walking toward Hinata, probably trying to intimidate her, and stepped in front of her, frowning.

"Hey, she said we don't want any trouble." She said a bit more harshly then intended.

The man chuckled and looked behind him at his partner, obviously amused… He looked at Sakura again, a glint in his eye, and without warning the two of them darted directly at her. Sakura immediately went on the defensive and raised her hands to fight back. And she would have had them too! Except that she heard an abrupt cry from behind her. Sakura quickly turned around and was greeted with the site of the other two men, one of them holding Hinata. One of their hands was covering her mouth while another held a kunai to her throat. It was enough of a shock to catch her off guard that it allowed the other two to get hold of her as well. She cried out in frustration as she was held in the same manner as Hinata.

A man stepped forward, clearly the 'leader' of the guys, grinning mischievously.

"If either one of you make a move, then the other will… get hurt." He said, nearing Sakura and leaning his face in so it was merely inches from her own.

"Understand?" He asked, receiving only a glare from her, but nothing else. He nodded towards his men in a gesture to get moving. They clearly, for whatever reason, were unable to stay here where they were…

She felt her mouth released but immediately felt the pressure of a kunai placed near her lower back instead, followed by a rough hand on her shoulder, pushing her forward. She stumbled but reluctantly obeyed. Sakura soon noticed Hinata join her by her side, being held the same way.

Hinata met her gaze and looked at her...worried. Nothing good could come out of this. She was shoved forward a bit and gasped lightly, turning her attention ahead…

* * *

"…." Kiba looked at Hinata incredulously.

"Hinata….what the hell are you talking about?" he was looking at her in a different way. He seemed genuinely concerned.

Hinata clumsily stood to her feet and noticed a cool breeze sweep across her chest. She looked down and saw her jacket completely unzipped. Hinata choked back some kind of noise and quickly moved her hands to zip herself up. Her face was tinted red and she bit her lip. It had a metallic taste to it…

Kiba quickly looked away from her chest and instead focused on her face. "…Hinata?"

"S-Sakura w-was taken away…we need to inform someone!" She said nervously, looking around as though there were people all over.

Kiba frowned and quickly hopped onto was clear that Hinata's mind was elsewhere, and he wasn't going to get any clear information from her by staying here.

"Come on, I'll give you a ride. Explain to me what happened on the way…" He said seriously.

Hinata hesitated, but nodded as she quickly joined him, making their way to the Hokage.

* * *

Sakura had started to run plans through her head, but having Hinata here made things so much more difficult… If she made any sort of attack, they'd hurt Hinata! And she just couldn't bring herself to be responsible for that. No way! She started to recognize where they were headed at this point, and she felt a little twist in her stomach. They were leading them out of the village…

Unnoticed by the girls, there was a silent exchange of looks between the two men behind them, and practically in sync, they forcefully looped their arms beneath the girl's and held them closely to their chests in a firm and painful lock. This of course earned cries from the poor girls, along with a frustrated groan from Sakura.

"What the hell! Let us go!" Sakura demanded as she began to struggle in his grasp.

As if to put her in her place, then man lifted his kunai to once again to her throat, stilling her movements immediately. Again, another soft cry from the pink headed female.

Hinata was so nervous, and incredibly uncomfortable. She did not handle such confrontation very well… not that she was ever really faced with it. She looked at the kunai that was being held to her friend's throat and swallowed loudly.

"Hmm.." The one man- the leader- spoke up, looking back and forth between the two women held captive before him, clearly taking his time doing so…

"Which one of you is going first?" he asked, a smirk forming across his lips.

Sakura and Hinata both stared at the man, perplexed and anxious. "What are you-" Sakura began to ask but was instantly interrupted by the man beside her.

"I say this one first!" He laughed and pulled Hinata closer to him, earning a soft cry. It killed her arms when he did that. It burned. She could feel him breathing on her neck, and shuddered at the sensation.

Another man seemed to agree since he let out a booming laugh of his own as he approached them.

"Yeah! She's got bigger tits than pinky!" He laughed, leaning in his face towards Hinata, who reddened deeply. She tried to move her face out of the way, but the man gripped her jaw and guided her gaze back to his.

Sakura's eyes widened and she looked worryingly at the guy in front of her. She hoped to God this isn't what he was referring to in his question. The man's eyes then met hers and lingered there for a long moment, his face emotionless. Sakura was silently pleading with him, her eyes desperate.

After what felt like forever, he smirked and let out a long drawn out sigh before looking at the man holding Hinata.

"Bring her here." He said with such a quiet…venomous… voice.

"No!" Sakura yelled as the men obeyed and brought forth her friend.

"Hinata! No!" She yelled again.

No… she could not watch this. She couldn't! The situation was bad enough as is… but there was no freakin way she could stomach standing there and watch her friend being assaulted. It was embarrassing, it was cruel… it was vile.

The men laughed and forced Hinata-who was now squirming and struggling- forward. The man behind her grabbed a fistful of her hair, further stretching her arms, and pulled her head to the side as he began to ravish her neck in kisses. Hinata cried out and tried to move away. The other man knelt before her and began to slowly run his hands along her waist causing her to flinch even more.

"P-please don't…" She asked desperately, eyes beginning to well up. She was scared, confused, and overall disgusted.

Hinata had never been with a guy intimately before, and especially had never been touched in this way. She did not like the feeling that these men were giving her…. They were foreign…and awkward.

The man laughed mockingly. "Don't do what, babe?" He asked in a feigned innocence before extending a hand upward and grabbing hold of the tiny zipper to her jacket. He began to pull it down torturously slow, never letting his eyes wander from her face.

"Don't do this?" He asked, suddenly sliding the zipper all the way down in one fluid motion, thus revealing her full breasts. They were beneath fishnet of course, but there was little left to the imagination.

Cold air immediately rushed to her chest and Hinata cried out in embarrassment. She urned her head away, unintentionally providing more access to the man suckling her neck, whom she felt nip at it lightly. Her face turned an even darker shade of red and she bit her lower lip.

The man laughed again and stood to his feet, once again staring at her face.

"Oho! Are you…embarrassed there, sweetheart?" he teased as he leaned forward, pressing himself into her, sandwiching her between the two. He took hold of her jaw again and used his other hand to start caressing her face and pushing her hair back, watching every expression on her facial features.

"Are you a… virgin?" He questioned, his smile growing wider when she averted her eyes.

"Huh. No kidding! What luck! Well, I'm going to show you what it feels like to be touched by a man, Okay?" He said proudly as he leaned his head in and pressed his lips to hers.

Hinata's eyes widened and she flinched as she felt his hands begin to fondle her breasts. A small noise escaped the back of her throat and she struggled beneath him. It didn't matter though, made it feel nicer for him.

Sakura clenched her teeth and quickly looked away from the sight displayed before her, only to find the leader to be watching her face the whole time. The…whole time. The sick bastard was enjoying this! She glared at him and looked away, squeezing her eyes shut. The fourth man, who had been just standing around approached her then.

"You're leaving her out!" He exclaimed to her captor. Sakura opened her eyes and looked up at the stranger standing before her now.

"Does this turn you on?" He asked as he gestured towards Hinata over his shoulder. Sakura glared daggers at him. He had a longer face and dark eyes… she just… she hated all of them so much right now. She looked away again, clearly wanting nothing to do with him.

The man chuckled and rolled his eyes before grabbing her jaw, maybe a bit rougher than intended. "Hey, I asked you a question."

She looked at him again, her resentment towards him clear as day. He seemed to have found this amusing because he stepped forward so that he was directly in front of her now, leaving little to no space between their bodies. Smiling, he reached out his hands and placed them on her ribs, just below her chest. This of course gave him her desired attention.

"Because you know what? It turns me on…" He moved his thumbs upwards as he brushed the under part of her chest, intentionally coming dangerously close to her nipples.

Sakura gasped and attempted to struggle again, but was once more instantly reminded of the dangerously close kunai jabbing dangerously at her throat. So badly she wanted to swipe the bastard's filthy hands away, but unfortunately couldn't due to the position her arms were being held in. Which, by the way, where hurting like a bitch right about now.

The man grinned evilly and allowed his thumbs to brush over the sensitive area of her chest, causing her cry out quietly and squirm the slightest bit, earning some kind of noise from the man behind her. She had almost forgotten about him…

"Do that to her again…" He ordered as Sakura felt him press his hips forward and against her rear.

She hissed but squirmed regardless when he did it to her again, earning a moan from behind her. 'Dammit!' This was horrible! Her attention was immediately sent towards Hinata again when she heard her cry out loudly.

She had apparently been punched in the stomach and now had the man's fist clenching a fistful of her hair. He threw her forcefully to the ground with a loud _thud_ and was atop her in seconds, now pinning her wrists to the ground and kissing her again. Hinata tried her hardest to fight him off, but he was just too strong!

"Stop! Please stop! !" Sakura shrieked, again looking at the leader who was now making eye contact with her once more. She looked panicked, her eyes wide and glossy. It was just too much!

When it appeared that the man had not stopped his actions, Sakura cried out again.

"Please! Just… just…" She didn't know what to say… she was desperate! "I don't know! Just… take me instead!" Success.

The man hovering over Hinata stopped and turned his head to face her. And he wasn't the only one. Everyone was staring at her now…Hinata included.

The leader folded his arms and cocked his head to the side. He was curious now.

"What was that?" He raised a thick eyebrow and turned to face her.

Sakura looked around at all the eyes, hesitant now. She succeeded in making everyone stop… but at what cost? What did she just say? She met the eyes of Hinata's though, and this kindled a new boldness in her. Hinata… her eyes… she looked so desperate, so afraid…

"..I..I said…take me…instead." She answered quietly.

The leader stared at her for a long time…he seemed to be contemplating something.

"..Please.." Sakura whispered, looking him straight in the eyes.

He looked around and let his focus linger on the girl pinned to the ground.

Another burning gaze…

"Release her." He ordered simply, earning a shocked expression from the remaining men. And more specifically, the one who currently had a hold on Hinata.

"What the fuck!" –"I said release her!" The man stared him down for a long moment before begrudgingly standing to his feet.

Hinata remained on the ground heaving, trying to absorb what just happened. Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes as she tried to calm down.

The leader gave him another silent cue before looking to Sakura. "I have to say. This is definitely a first. I don't know whether to label it as bravery…. or stupidity." He said, smiling again.

"But, no matter." He gave some kind of hand gesture to the men nearest her and walked right past, continuing in the direction they were heading earlier… out of the village.

Sakura groaned as the man behind her finally released her arms from his painful hold, but never let up on the kunai. Giving her no time to let the blood flow back into them, he quickly pulled her arms behind her and tied them tightly, once again placing that wretched kunai to her lower back. Two of the men followed behind their leader, leaving Sakura's captor, and Hinata's attacker. She felt herself pushed forward, which she had learned by now was their way of telling her to start walking. So, she complied.

Hinata quickly sat up, groaning as she did so, and watched Sakura as she walked away. "Sakura!" She cried, clenching her fists. Reality was now sinking in…

Sakura turned her head and met her eyes with Hinata's, her expression sorrowful, before turning away and continuing on.

Tears finally escaped and ran down the Hyuuga's cheeks.

"Sakura!" She called out again, now trying to get to her knees so she could stand up.

The man quickly reacted and grabbed her head, slamming it to the ground. Hinata cried out and turned her head to watch Sakura walking further and further away… vision blurry. With one hand sign from the guy standing above her, Hinata's world went black as she drifted off into unconsciousness.

* * *

Kiba's knuckles had turned white from the pressure of clenching his fists together. He could hear Hinata now crying behind him, and decided it would be best to say nothing at all. There was just… this part of him that wanted to stop and console her… but he just couldn't. Not right now. It was best that they got to the Hokage as soon as possible so the situation could be handled…

He felt terrible though.

"I'm sorry…Hinata." He said quietly, and it remained silent the whole way back, save for Hinata's muffled cries.

* * *

Sakura looked up at the man, her wide eyes soon turning to slits. She recalled little of what happened after that whole ordeal in the village. The walk had, for the most part been silent. There were the occasional small conversations between a couple of the men… and she caught them looking back at her at times before they started laughing amongst themselves… but that was it. Last she remembered was that, at one point, the man holding her had pulled out some kind of cloth and tied it securely around her eyes. And the walk from then on had seemed to last forever. She couldn't see anything and was literally walking blindly. Next thing she knew she had taken a hit to the head…. And now here she was, in this cold, damp… and dark kind of room-thing, facing one of…them.

"You…" She said between clenched teeth.

The man chuckled and stepped forward again. "Yes…-"

"-..Don't!" She interrupted… "Just…don't." She said, clearly tired. She turned away and walked back to her original spot across the room, taking a seat and leaning her head back against the dirt wall.

The man closed the door and made his way towards her, awaiting her reaction.

Sakura opened her eyes, watching him carefully.

"Don't what?" he asked, flashing that stupid grin of his and just standing there, towering over her.

"Don't talk to me." She answered, looking down at the ground.

The man waited a long minute, focusing on her as she traced her finger absentmindedly through the dirt, pursing his lips slightly.

"He's pissed off you know…" He said nonchalantly.

Sakura never bothered looking up; in fact, she carried on as though she didn't hear him. "Who?" She asked quietly.

Another smile. .."Your friend's buddy." He joked.

She looked up at him, glaring again. That animal was hardly her buddy. He was a disgusting freak who deserved to be… ah never mind. "I don't care." She said, clearly lacking enthusiasm.

"You should. He's pissed that you interfered."

"Tch"

"And I'm pretty sure he wants to take it out on you…personally." The man said, once again looking for a reaction.

Sakura twitched a little, but remained still. Why wasn't she surprised?

"Actually, everyone here is practically waiting their turn in line to get their hands on you." He chuckled dryly.

She looked up at him again, parting her mouth as if to say something, but opting not to. Instead she bit her lower lip gently and looked back to the ground. She should have expected it, but it wasn't something you could hear and think 'Oh okay, no biggie'. She dreaded it… absolutely dreaded it. There was a long break of silence. Neither of them said anything at all. They just sat there and became lost in their own thoughts.

"Why..?" Sakura quietly whispered, earning the attention of the man. "Why are you all doing this? Why did you come after us?" she asked, still barely above a whisper. They didn't do anything! Nothing!

The man stared at her, raising his eyebrows. "I'm not authorized to answer that." He replied plainly.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Huh. Of course not. So why are you in here then?" She asked, peering at him now out of the corner of her eyes.

He scratched his chin and looked up for a brief moment. It seemed as though he was trying to find the right wording…

"You liked it didn't you?" he asked, looking at her now and causing her to quickly look away. "You liked how I was touching you earlier…" He didn't even ask this time. More like, stated.

Sakura whipped her head up to look at him, eyes narrowing again. "Excuse you?"

"Don't deny it."

"…" She clenched her fists and teeth and opened her mouth to lash out at him, but she noticed his demeanor change and he lunged at her, trapping her between him and the wall.

Sakura yelped and pressed herself into the wall the best she could. "Wha-"

"-I know you liked it…" He said seriously, leaning in enough to make Sakura uncomfortable, thus causing her to turn her head. Using this to his advantage, he placed his lips by her ear; "And I can help you feel that way again" he breathed hotly.

Sakura tried to suppress the shivers that had just coursed through her…

He began to kiss trails along her neck, "remember those tingles I sent through your body?"

Up her jaw, "the sensation that you felt… down there…" he placed a hand on her inner thigh, making Sakura attempt to move away further.

Displeased, he grabbed both sides of her head, and placing his knee between her legs and kissed her roughly on the lips.

Sakura turned her mouth into a hard line and whimpered, quickly raising her hands and shoving him in the chest in attempt to push him off of her! But it didn't work, he only kissed her harder. Gripping her hair roughly on one side of her head, he removed the other and instead placed it on her chest.

Sakura gasped both at the pain he was causing now on her scalp, and his hand that was now gently squeezing her breast.

The man then forced his tongue in her mouth and began to explore the new territory. Sakura cried out and continued to shove against him. When that didn't work, she just went completely limp, trying her best to block him out and come up with an alternative plan.

He smiled, mistaking her actions as giving into him. He pulled away just enough to look into her eyes. They showed a glint of anger, but he didn't care…

"There you go, baby. Just give in. Enjoy." He whispered, now using his hand to continuously brush her hair out of her face and caressing her cheek…as though she were some…child!

Sakura then had an idea; she only hoped it would work and that she wouldn't make a complete and utter fool of herself. While discreetly allowing chakra to build up in her fist, she changed her expression, allowing a saddened look in her eyes and pressing her cheek into his hand, acting as though she was holding in tears.

The man lightened up the slightest bit and watched her. "…You understand now, right?" He asked, meeting her eyes when she looked at him.

"Everyone wants to have their way with you… and they will do whatever they want to… but I can at least make it a little more bearable." His face still lacked emotion. But hers didn't… She actually had to try really really hard just then to not let the anger she just felt show through… So instead she said nothing.

He then leaned in again and kissed her, a little more gently now, but still passionate. It wasn't passionate to her though. Every minute of it was disgusting. Every minute of it…

He had placed his hands on both sides of her head again, and it was the perfect moment. She started to lean forward, appearing to be deepening the kiss, but then launched her fist into his gut, sending him back with such force that he practically made it to the other corner side of the room. If she had more time, the punch would have had so much more power… but given the current circumstance, this would have to suffice.

Quickly she got to her feet and bolted towards the door!

The man looked up, lip bleeding, with such anger in his eyes…

She made eye contact with him and nearly froze from the death glare he gave her. Not paying attention, she slammed into something so hard; it almost knocked the wind out of her. This time she did land straight on her butt, yelping when she did. Ignoring the current pain shooting through her tailbone, she looked up to see what she ran into and this time, she did freeze.

* * *

***SLAM***

"What!" Yelled the Hokage, Tsunade.

Hinata flinched and bit her lip. Kiba made no movement at all and focused on a small space of her desk…

"B-by some stranger… S-Sakura…she…she w-was taken…out of the village" She was fighting back tears again and brushed a lock of hair behind her ear.

Tsunade let out a long sigh and dramatically sat back in her chair. "Tell me exactly what happened…" She ordered, motioning for Hinata and Kiba to have a seat.

* * *

**BUH BUH BUHHHHHHHH! Chapter 1 doneee :D Did you like it? Did you hate it? :O Let me know! I love reviewssss! **


	3. He Should Know

**Waaah! Haaaaii everyone! Sorry it took me so long to update : ! I've been busy! And I have college starting up again in a couple weeks, so that will make me more busy... So I hope to get another chapter in before then, but if not... sorry! Anyway, I want to thank those of you who gave me feedback on my last chapters! It's nice to come on here to see reviews. Good and bad. I ask that you guys hang in there as I develop this story, and ask your questions tactfully. **

**Anyway, as usual, I don't own Naruto. :( Enjoy!**

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Sakura stared up wide eyed at the large figure towering over her, blocking her only chance at her much desired freedom.

Almost instantly she recognized him and was suddenly consumed with this new… burning flame of hatred; and seeing the expression on his face, or lack thereof, only served to kindle that fire. She narrowed her eyes dangerously into slits and skillfully jumped to her feet, aiming another chakra infused punch straight for the bastard's ugly face. There was an excitement within her that sparked at the thought of pounding his features in so badly that he wouldn't even be recognizable!

Was it bad that she was entertaining such thoughts?

The man expertly blocked the incoming blow by trapping her swinging arm between his own, stopping her fist just inches from his face.

Growling, Sakura retaliated by delivering a nice roundhouse kick to his side, earning a painful groan and release of her arm. She instantly finished her initial attack and flung her fist directly into his hard chest, sending his ass right back outside the door, and into the wall with such force that he even made an impact in the stony surface.

Immediately she sprinted for the door again and exited the room with a quick spark of joy at the thought of escape, only to feel a twisting tug at her ankle as she lost her footing and dropped right to the ground, landing on her face and stomach, thus knocking the wind out of her.

But she had no time to dwell on the pain and found herself on the move again when she felt pressure on her ankle, being dragged backwards. She tried moving forward the best she could using all the upper body strength she currently possessed; kicking and thrashing about and pulling herself forward with her arms. All she was focused on was leaving… she could not risk being pulled back into that room. She couldn't! It only meant bad things for her…

The man muttered something under his breath, and though Sakura couldn't make out what he said, she knew it was something foul. He extended his arms forward, further getting a rough grip on her thighs and ignoring the pain in his chest. He had a death grip on her now and used it to continue tugging her backwards, hell bent on not letting her escape.

Sakura winced at the pain coursing through her legs, using it only as motivation to keep moving. It subsided quickly enough as her adrenaline kicked in though. She started to make it to her knees again as she prepared to lunge forward, only to be pulled back down again. Groaning, she kept pulling herself forward, unwilling to give in, despite how tired she was.

Hissing, the man raised himself up clumsily and increased his hold on her, pulling her a good foot towards him, earning a yelp from the pink headed girl as she skidded across the hard ground. He released his hold on her legs just quick enough to loop them onto her stomach instead, forcefully lifting her from the ground and even closer to his chest.

Sakura cried out and became deadweight, allowing all of the weight of her body to drop to the ground as she thrashed around wildly, thus preventing more of a challenge to be moved.

"Fuck…" the man huffed and continued to pull her towards him. "You're pissing me off!" He growled angrily. She definitely made this a lot harder, and he didn't appreciate it in the least. Furiously, he kneed her in the back and used her resulted position of pain to his advantage to gain more ground as he literally dragged her backwards.

They had made it into the doorway now and Sakura clenched her teeth and groaned.

"No!" She couldn't go back in there! She lunged her body forward again in attempt to escape, but suddenly felt a whole new shocking wave of pain travel through her scalp as her hair was pulled back aggressively. Ah, one of the weaknesses of being a female. She now felt her body being pulled much more easily than before as a third arm wrapped securely about her waist. In addition to this, she felt as though she was losing energy- and fast.

And that was it… her feet were inside the room now. Using every bit of effort she had left, she lunged forward once more, but alas, it was of no use as she was thrown to the ground in the center of the room with a big thud.

Sakura cried out in pain and remained still for what felt like minutes as she tried to regain her breath. A part of her just wanted to cry… but she couldn't. Not yet. Waves of pain surged through her body and she couldn't help the trembling of her arms and legs. It hurt…

She lifted her head slightly, her bangs falling in her face, and watched as the other man, the same one who had just been making moves on her, closed the door; eying her angrily. That was it. She just watched as her way to freedom was closed off. She shifted her eyes to the man whom she just fought and saw just as much resentment in his eyes then the other one had had. She was willing to bet, however, that she was much more pissed off at him then he was at her. Sakura was sure if it. This bastard, the one she was staring down, he was the one who attacked Hinata. The one who hurt her… she couldn't even look at him without feeling a churning in her stomach.

"You're a fucking ninja." He stated, glaring at her and clenching his fists.

"So are you…" she hissed accusingly. Had she known…

Had she known before that these men were ninja…

Sakura clenched her teeth again and lay her head back down, staring at some dirt that was on her arm. She made it known that she was clearly done speaking to him.

The man's nostrils flared and he whipped his head towards his partner, noticing his bleeding lip. She was stronger than anticipated. The man growled and stomped out the door, slamming it behind him.

"Fuckin' bitch!" he yelled in the hallway outside.

The man looked at Sakura who was now holding her stomach and breathing heavily. Slowly he approached her and just stood there, watching.

"Now you've done it." He said, watching her face.

Silence.

"He's only going to hurt you more…"

Silence.

Sakura noticed that it seemed harder to gather up her chakra now for some reason; but she still tried.

"…And it could have been less painful-"

"-so the fuck what!" she yelled, hand now glowing a bright green as she attempted to gather chakra.

Sakura sat up agonizingly slow and examined her thighs. There were deep red finger marks, and she could tell bruises were already forming.

"Tch" Her eyes moved up to meet his, expression accusatory, before placing her delicate hand over a small area of her leg, beginning to heal it.

The man's eyes widened slightly as he witnessed this…

The door swung open minutes later and the bastard took in the site of Sakura. He noticed the odd dim glow between her leg and the palm of her hand, and his eyes also widened before he glared and quickly approached her.

Sakura had completely ignored him. She knew he was there, but the task at hand required concentration. But that didn't last at all. She felt her arm get jerked up and away from her leg immediately and was held painfully above her head.

"Ngh!"

"A medic as well, huh?" He asked, looking at some random scrapes and bruises on her skin, and throwing her arm forcibly to the ground.

"You are just full of surprises aren't you, little bitch!" He then whipped his head towards his partner.

"Were you just going to stand here and allow her to heal herself? You're fucking pathetic." He spat in his face. He handed him what, Sakura seemed to notice, appeared to be some sort of syringe. And that set off alarms in Sakura's head immediately.

'_Shit!'_

Sakura's eyes widened and she quickly turned to crawl away when the man pivoted towards her.

Laughing, he grabbed her hair again and pulled her to the ground, earning another small cry.

* * *

"A-After that… I didn't know what to do!" Said the light-eyed girl. She began to move her fingers around nervously, much like she did when she was younger. An old habit really.

Kiba had barely moved an inch the entire time he sat there. It was as if he was in his own world as he envisioned all that his teammate described. His expression never changed either. He held a serious, dangerous look as he focused on a random spot of the Hokage's desk. Hinata was a very close friend of his. They had been on a lot of missions together, and at times he saw her almost as a little sister of his. It was funny, he thought… She was such a shy and timid little thing. But when it came down to battle, she could be pretty beast! He'd seen it firsthand! He'd seen what she could do… so then why? Why….?

"I just couldn't move! A-All I could d-do is just watch….j-just watch them take her a-away." She bit her lip in a desperate attempt to not cry in front of everyone. That would just be embarrassing.

Shizune had been sitting on the windowsill in silence as she also listened. Sakura was also her little sister, so to speak… and this just hurt her as much as it hurt everyone else.

Kiba clenched his fist ever so slightly before looking up and staring at Hinata. "How?" He asked…almost too quietly. It was enough to get all sets of eyes on him though.

Hinata met his gaze with her own confused one.

"You guys are sick fighters! Frickin' bad ass at times! So…how the hell did they get away with all of this…so damn easily?" He demanded.

Hinata stared at him for a long moment before looking away, only to see everyone staring at her once again.

Tsunade interjected quietly now. "I too would like to know the answer to his question, Hinata." She said, eyeing her seriously.

Hinata looked down at her lap. She really didn't have an answer. Not a good one anyway.

"I-I don't know… We…We were at their mercy…" She looked up, maybe hoping to find a look in any of their eyes… a look of understanding. Nothing. They all continued to look at her in a way to keep her going.

"I guess we let our guard down? I-I mean… it was late, yes. But it was our own village! We were just shopping in town… there shouldn't have been any threats!" Hinata noticed she seemed to have raised the Hokage's interest, even if only a little, and latched onto that.

Staring at her now, and only at her, she continued. "They got hold of both of us! If one of us made any threatening move, the other would be hurt! And if Sakura was thinking anything along the lines of what I was, neither of us wanted to be responsible for the pain of the other…I-I guess after that… my mind just…sh-shut down." She cried now as she placed her face into the palms of her hands.

Kiba frowned and looked the Hokage, who was looking at Hinata sympathetically.

"Hinata, you understand that's not the most…skillful of behavior for kunoichi of your level, right?" She asked quietly.

"I know!" Hinata cried, removing her hands from her face to reveal a sobbing mess. "I know we-I messed up! And I'm willing to pay any consequences for that! But…but… I just want to help Sakura now!" She said desperately.

Tsunade nodded and sat back in her chair with a tired huff. "Okay. Well, you do all know that we are going to have to tell Naruto…."

And at this, everyone else's eyes widened.

* * *

Sakura struggled best she could to get away. She was a medic, and this requires her to work a lot with serums and whatnot. And if there was one thing she knew in her current situation, it was that nothing good could come out of whatever that little syringe of theirs held.

She threw her own little fit in attempt to escape the man's hold, and even began to lunge herself forward. Somehow though, and she didn't see how, the man got atop her and pinned her to the ground roughly.

Letting out a sound of protest, Sakura never ceased in squirming. She would not just lay there on the ground and take it. She'd fight everything… until she could fight no more.

"Hurry up, dumb ass!" The man ordered. "This bitch is strong!" He said as, if almost on cue, he nearly lost his balance from one of her maneuvers beneath him.

The other guy looked at him confused. "What the hell am I supposed to do?" He asked, clearly irritated.

"Oh my god… are you retarded? Stick the damn thing in her fuckin' arm or something!" He all but yelled. "How the hell do I get stuck with fucking morons like you…?" he mumbled this time. He pushed more of his weight on her now, almost laying himself completely flat as he forced her arms even more roughly, earning a gasp from Sakura as he pushed the air from her lungs.

She was completely sandwiched between the earthen ground and this sad excuse to the human race atop of her.

The other man approached them now, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, like I'm supposed to read your damn mind."

Sakura frowned and continued to struggle. Like hell they would stick that thing in her!

Laughing, the man grabbed her by her pink locks and roughly slammed her head into the ground, earning a cry from the poor girl, followed by another yelp as she was stabbed in the back of her leg with the needle-stilling her movements almost instantly.

The bastard, that was her new name for him, stood up off of her now and joined his partner in crime as they stood beside the whimpering girl before them.

Sakura lay there for a long moment, trying to catch her breath and let whatever had just happened sink in. She knew it would be best to not move anymore, for doing so would only cause the substance to spread quicker throughout her body. She turned her head so that she wasn't facing them...

Chuckling amongst themselves, the two exited the room now, leaving her to her unknowing misery.

* * *

"You really are a fucking moron. You know that, right?" Bastard number one said, folding his arms across his chest as they walked through the hallway.

"Just shut up. Damn." Bastard number two answered, clearly annoyed. There was a chuckle from his partner and then a long silence as they continued to stroll by. "What happens now?" He finally asked, turning his head halfway to get a look at the man beside him.

With an evil smirk, he looked ahead and paused. "We send the boss." He answered, earning a drawn out huff from his partner.

* * *

"Like hell we will!" Kiba protested, lunging forward in his chair, nearly bolting from it.

Tsunade sighed stared at him seriously. "You know it's the right-"

"-the right thing? Yeah right! You know he will just flip out on everyone, and…and make this more stressful than need be! He'll want to do it all his own way and-"

"-Kiba…" Hinata quietly interrupted, shutting Kiba up. "Tsunade-sama is right…it's best th-that we tell him." She kept her eyes glued to the flooring.

Tsunade nodded and looked to Kiba again. "I'm not saying it will be easy. Nor will it be any fun…for any of us. But… they are on the same team after all… and it will take hardly any time before Naruto notices she's gone…" She sighed tiredly once again and plopped back in her chair, placing her hand on her forehead. She was getting a headache from the whole mess.

"Shizune, please send a messenger for Naruto." The Hokage requested.

"Y-yes ma'am." And with that, she left the office, closing the door quietly behind her.

Kiba clenched his teeth, but otherwise relaxed for the most part. This was gonna suck… and it was about to get…loud.

* * *

Sakura just lay there. She could feel this…pain on her forehead. She was sure there would be at least a bruise. And she could already feel a headache coming on. Great.

That's when she became aware of this faint burning sensation on the back of her thigh. Careful to move as little as possible, she twisted her body just enough to get a look. There was a small puncture where the needle had broke the skin, and it was bleeding the tiniest bit. There was redness around it though, and that didn't look to good.

She began to attempt forming her healing chakra in her hand, only to find she was incapable of such a task. Why couldn't she use her chakra! Damn! She should have known…

It would only make sense that they'd disable her in such a way. And this gave her more of a reason to start to get nervous. When you are a ninja and faced with a fight, that's one thing. You have a means of defense. However, now that Sakura was without the use of chakra, it was literally like a soldier fighting a civilian. She had to rely solely on her own abilities. And even that would have been okay, except for the fact that she was now weakened…

Okay, she just had to relax…

Sakura lay her head down on the ground and just relaxed her body. There had to be a way out of this… She just needed to think…

Relax…..

Relax…

Relax..

She gasped though when there was a sudden wave of pain that shot through her leg, and flinched. This was bad… She tried to be brave about the whole thing, and tried to keep her head clear… but in all honesty, she couldn't help but feel a little scared. Who knew what was in store for her…

She figured it would be best to maybe think about something else… and to not focus on any pain she was feeling. After all… whatever you focus on… you magnify.

So she began to think about Hinata… and as soon as she did, she felt heaviness in her heart. She really hoped she was okay…

Sakura thought back to the last image she had of Hinata… She looked so scared… so lost. But she trusted in her to carry out her plan. She volunteered to go with these sick freaks in hopes of them sparing her friend. And in doing so, she hoped Hinata would be able to notify the Hokage, and they would send help right away! All while she would stay here, wherever she was, and collect any information possible. There was no way she'd just let them go and get away with all of this.

It dawned on her though…. She didn't even know any of their names. Not a single one. Of course she had her own names for them. She already knew bastard number one and number two. But she needed to see the others again in order to give them their proper identities…

Then again… names weren't that important… she'd much rather not see any of them anymore.

Another wave shot thorough her, this time harsher than the one before, and she cried out softly. It was spreading faster than she had anticipated, and this did not settle well with her.

Anyway… then there was Naruto.

Oh boy… she felt kind of bad for leaving the others to deal with him. Sakura knew Naruto better than anyone. And she knew very well that as soon as he got word of her disappearance, he'd totally flip his lid. Would it be wrong to admit that she felt a little happy about this? Not that she'd worry him. No, there was no delight in that. But it felt good to know there was someone back at home whom she knew would really care about her safety and return. She smiled the faintest bit at the thought until yet again, another wave a pain.

It was as though it was increasing by the minute!

This could take a while…

* * *

Hinata fidgeted in her seat as she continued to move her fingers nervously. She was worried for Sakura… very worried. She saw firsthand what those guys were like… she experienced it.

She still couldn't believe Sakura would just… offer herself over like that… and she hoped she had a plan. Was she helping to fulfill it? Was this what Sakura wanted of her? To seek help from the Hokage? She hoped so… she wanted to do anything she could for her friend…

Tsunade eyed the nervous girl before her and frowned. She knew this couldn't be easy on her. "You did right by coming to me first, Hinata." She smiled.

Hinata barely smiled and nodded. "I…hope so." She looked up at Tsunade now.

"I-I just don't understand why they let me go. I-I wasn't dead… they must have known I'd come to you…right?" She looked at her worriedly.

Tsunade frowned and tapped a pen on her desk in thought. She had thought of this… and as Hinata said it, it sounded all the more suspicious.

Hinata nearly jumped out of her seat the moment that office door opened, and gained the attention of everyone in the room.

"Heeey Tsu-what… what are you all doing in here?" Asked Naruto, looking around at the nice little group that seemed to have formed.

'Well this is weird…' he thought to himself, glancing around suspiciously.

Shizune closed the door slowly and walked past Naruto, taking her seat again by the window.

Naruto watched as she went by, and didn't miss the sad look on her face. "Err…what's going on?" He asked, raising his eyebrow.

Hinata hadn't moved an inch upon Naruto's entrance. He was going to be mad… mad at her… and she knew it…

"You may wanna have a seat, Naruto." Said Kiba as he stood up, offering his chair and leaning against a nearby wall.

"I don't wanna sit… someone tell me what's going on! Why does everyone look so down?"

Tsunade frowned. "Naruto-"

"Oh no! Don't tell me Ichiraku is closed down!"

"Naruto.."

"Wait! Did Lee finally shave his eyebrows! No way! I bet that's what it is! And he doesn't look the same anymore, right?"

"Naruto!" Tsunade yelled, shutting him up finally.

"Naruto, please, have a seat…" She ordered, folding her arms across her chest.

Frowning slightly, Naruto finally did as he was told and slowly took his seat, remaining rather rigid.

Hinata peeked over at him from under her bangs and bit her lip. She then made eye contact with Tsunade and quickly looked back down, averting her gaze.

"Naruto…trust me when I say that there is no easy way to say this… but, Sakura has been...kidnapped." She said seriously, never looking away from the blonde.

Naruto sat completely still for a long moment.

"…What?" Naruto asked, shaking his head, unable to wrap his mind around what he'd just heard. "I don't…"

"She's been taken, Naruto…" Kiba answered from behind him.

"But…how? When?" He asked, still unmoving.

Hinata bit her lip again as she repeated her story.

* * *

Sakura was fidgeting much more now, and crying too. It hurt so bad… She just, she felt as though she were on fire! And it was as if that fire was spreading internally upwards.

She grabbed at the dirt ground, begging for something to hold onto, but failing miserably. All she was doing was scraping the surface of it.

Sakura's skin was damp now too from the sweat, and that just made her more uncomfortable. She let out more cries and whimpered as she just placed her face on the cool ground. It was just so hot in there!

What was happening to her…?

The door opened then and Sakura winced as she whipped her head in its direction. In walked the leader of the group. And he was staring at her now, much like he did earlier when she tried to plead with him. He had that same stupid, uncaring expression.

She glared and turned her head away from him, staring at a nearby wall. She would not give him the gratification of her tears.

"Hello, Sakura" He greeted, watching her carefully.

Silence.

"How are you feeling?"

Silence.

Stubborn. Well, the guys were right about her then. "You appear to be a little hot in here." He said as he took small gradual steps towards her.

"You could always remove your clothes to help cool-"

"-Don't even…" She threatened, eyeing him dangerously now.

He examined her eyes. She was a vicious one. That was for sure. "So my men were right after all." He smiled and stood still, watching her all the more.

Sakura frowned and turned her head again. She was sick of listening to these idiots talk. Seriously. "What the hell did you inject me with?" She demanded, changing the subject and letting out another cry of pain.

The man laughed and shrugged. "Eh. Nothing special really." He answered simply, earning a snicker from the pink headed girl.

He walked up right beside her and nudged her slightly with the toe of his shoe before rolling her over and onto her back, placing his foot on her abdomen.

Sakura hissed in pain and looked up at the man with a hint of anger and fear in her eyes.

"You want to know what it does?" He asked mockingly.

More silence.

"It's simple. As I'm sure you have already noticed, its main purpose is to drain you of your chakra. The rest is just a helping bonus. It's supposed to weaken you. Unfortunately, seeing as how you are a medic ninja, I can't give you any further details." He said in feigned sympathy.

Sakura scowled at him. "You all talk so…so cocky! But just you wait! You think people won't be sent after me? You don't think they'll come looking for me! They'll kick your ass!" She said triumphantly, panting while she tried to remain quiet as another wave of pain shot through her.

The man stared at her for a long moment before smirking.

"Well, let's hope so." He answered, pressing down on her ever so slightly with his foot.

Sakura winced and shifted a bit at the pressure in her gut. "Wh-what?"

"Yeah, that's what I'm hoping for! I want them to come here looking for you." He said, removing his foot and kneeling down to her level.

"…What.."

"Or I should say… I want him to come looking for you." He grinned evilly.

Sakura stared up at him dumbfounded. What was he talking about…?

"That's right. You know who exactly who I'm talking about don't you? A certain blonde boy with an unusual appetite for ramen…"

Sakura said nothing. She didn't know what to say…

"The Jinchuriki…" He stared at her knowingly.

Sakura's mind was beginning to shut down. She didn't know what to process… She hadn't even noticed bastards one and two enter the room until they were standing right behind the man looming above her. They were staring down at her, holding that same stupid smile on their faces. They were mocking her, and she knew it.

"There is a…certain organization that requests his body. And we are the group to give it to them. I thank you for volunteering yourself over as bait, too. You're perfect for the job! I don't think we could have gotten hold of anyone better. Even that other chick you were with. There wouldn't even nearly be the same reaction!" He laughed.

Sakura was gone by now. She could have literally been seeing red for all we knew. She was so enraged… With a sudden growl she lunged herself forward, despite the pain consuming her body, and grabbed at his throat, pushing him backwards hard into the ground.

She wished she could use her chakra and crush is neck into little bits! But she was fairly weak, and it took a lot of effort to squeeze as hard as she was.

Gasping for air, the man pulled at her wrists roughly as he fought to release her grip. "Fucking get her off me!" He ordered through clenched teeth.

Without anymore delay, the men both took hold of her and pried her off of him. One of them yanked her violently by the hair and the other punched her in the stomach, both actions earning a painful screech from the girl.

They shoved her to the ground and she lay there, openly crying now. They were tears of pain and anger. The man struggled to get to his feet, and when he did so he approached her once more. He stared down at her for what felt like the millionth time. Without warning, he kicked her hard in the gut and she immediately curled up into a ball, wrapping her arms around her stomach, sobbing.

And with that, the three men exited with a loud slam of the door.

Sakura just lay there completely still, minus the shaking her crying caused. She pounded her fist on the ground and just placed her against it. She didn't want to look around. She didn't want to do anything right now. She felt like the dirt she currently rested on.

It was all her fault. She knew Naruto would come for her. It would be out of character for him not to. And whereas before his arrival was something to look forward to, now she just dreaded it; absolutely dreaded it. He would be walking right into their trap.

She thought she had a good plan. Not amazing, but good. But it would appear that they led her to that plan, using it as their own.

And, as if events couldn't get worse, the pain of, whatever they injected her with, increased. She figured this would be the worst of it. But it still sucked hardcore!

And with that, she let out a scream of anguish before her body just shut down, allowing her to drift into unconsciousness.

* * *

Hinata was crying again now. The wounds of course still had not yet healed, nor have they even had a chance to begin to. This is the second time she had to relive it in under 24 hours.

"I'm s-so sorry, Naruto-kun!" She cried, looking at him sorrowfully. She felt terrible!

Kiba just frowned and opted to say nothing. He felt bad for Hinata. And truthfully, he felt kind of bad for Naruto too. He knew it hurt him.

Naruto said nothing for several minutes. You could hear a pin drop, and the tension was thick in the air.

Tsunade never said a word either. She knew Naruto. She knew him very well. And she knew it would be best to just keep quiet at a time like this and let everything soak in.

But then Naruto finally spoke up…

"It's okay, Hinata…" He said without any emotion. "When do we leave?" He asked very quietly as he stared down at the floor, fists clenched.

"We are worried that maybe it could be a set up… they left Hinata too easily and-"

"-I said….when do we leave?" Naruto interrupted.

"Immediately." She answered seriously.

And with that, Naruto stood up and left the room without another word.

And neither did anyone else in that room.

"Shizune, please send someone to inform Sakura's parents… I have a team to form." She said quietly and dismissed everyone from her office.

* * *

**Aaaand there you have it. Another chapter! What do you guys think? Please drop a review! They really do keep me going, and you'll probably get a fast update if you leave me some love! **

**Also...does anyone here watch _So you think you can dance?_**

**Anyone upset with who won? I am :( I wanted Kent! *sniffle* Anyway, talk to you guys later! _  
_**


	4. Just hang in there

**Whoop whoop! I bring you another chapter! I really wanted to get this in before classes started up again... which is in 4 days btw :/ So, I really hope you all enjoy it! **

**Umm, there is some mature content in this... just so y'all know. **

**KK.. *fades***

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* * *

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Sakura's eyes began to slowly peak their way open as she came around. There were no thoughts racing through her head at this particular moment, her mind was mostly focused on regaining consciousness and there seemed to be a thick haze clouding her head, not permitting her to think clearly.

For only a short brief time span had she forgotten where she was, why she was there, and everything else that had transpired within the past 24hrs. But, life wasn't kind enough as to keep her in her haze for any longer. She wished it had though, because when she lifted her head the slightest bit, it all began to come back to her.

It was as if her thoughts were like a rapid river, and all of the recent events were being held back by a single flimsy log, bound to break at any moment. And that's exactly what it felt like. The log had moved and her mind was instantly flooded with everything. Hinata, the abduction, the men that brought her here, the pain, Naruto…

She let out a low groan and put a stop to the thoughts as best she could in her state, lifting herself up off the cold ground pathetically. She was weak, but there was a part of Sakura that just didn't care about that right now.

As soon as she did lift herself, she regretted it. There was a painful feeling in the pit of her stomach, and her throat tightened a bit. So she stayed there for a long moment on her hands and knees, trying to take deep even breaths, hair falling and clinging to her damp face.

Sakura carefully pivoted herself and sat flat on her butt, groaning again and crossing her stiff legs. She folded her arms over her stomach, hunching forward slightly in attempt to relieve the pain. It didn't help all that much though.

Then she saw it. Sitting there inches away from her was a small plate with some kind of food content on it. It appeared to be some bread and what looked like some kind of meat. Next to it was a glass of water that looked horribly refreshing right now… She hadn't noticed how dry her mouth actually was until she saw the water.

However, she wouldn't accept anything from them. First of all, she just couldn't trust it. Who knows what they might have loaded it with? They apparently could get their hands on some pretty intense drugs around here, and she would not willingly consume them. And second of all, her pride just wouldn't allow her to. She couldn't stand sitting in here as though she were some sort of animal or some pet of theirs whom they decided to feed every now and then.

Letting out a long frustrated sigh, Sakura looked down at her arms and legs. Her skin was so filthy. It was covered in random patches of dirt and she had several scrapes and bruises from the many falls she had experienced. She frowned and then decided to focus on a random spot on the ground and let her eyes stay there. She tried to disconnect herself and not think about anything, for doing so could very well result in some sort of emotional breakdown. She couldn't allow that anymore. She had showed her emotions enough already and had even let them control her a few times. But not more, it would be best to just not think…

It would be best to not think about how much she missed her home, her friends, fresh air, sunshine, accessible facilities, laughing…

* * *

Naruto stood by Konoha's main gates accompanied by Kiba and Akamaru, Yamato, Sai, and Tsunade.

"I hope you all understand the severity of this mission. They accepted Sakura's offer much too easily and you should approach this with caution." The hokage said seriously, to which everyone nodded in understanding.

Tsunade pulled out a head of hair and handed it to Kiba, who was hesitant in taking it.

"Hinata said this is the wig Sakura bought for herself and tried it on before they were confronted. So it should still have her scent on it." She informed the team.

Kiba frowned held it in front of Akamaru, who sniffed at it crazily.

He barked and Kiba pet him approvingly. "Good boy." He whispered.

Tsunade then turned to Naruto, who was just standing there. He looked as though he was in deep thought, and was staring intently at the ground. She wouldn't be surprised if he didn't hear a single word she just said.

"Naruto…"

He looked up.

"Please try your best to control yourself. I know this mission is very important to you, but do not let your guard down…and follow any given orders."

Naruto nodded and adjusted his backpack.

She looked to Yamato who only nodded. No words were needed. Clearly they had talked separately prior to this meet up.

"Good luck." She said before turning and walking away, folding her arms over her chest.

Kiba let Akamaru sniff the wig again one last time and waited for a moment until he barked, looking past the gates.

"Go!" He said and took off, the rest of the team right behind.

* * *

Sakura wasn't sure how long she stayed that way, sitting still in that one spot. She lost track of time, and in all honesty no longer had any sense of it. The only thing that broke her out of her trance was the creaky door that she knew all too well. It always got her heart racing. She didn't look up though.

Bastard number one walked up to her slowly and stopped right in front of the plate, just barely touching it with the front of his shoes.

"You haven't touched your food." He observed in a dull voice.

She closed her eyes and said absolutely nothing, as usual. She hated talking to these men. It's not like they listened to her anyway. So why waste her breath?

He clicked his tongue and paused for a long moment, staring down at Sakura and making her feel slightly awkward.

"You really should eat." He said, keeping his eyes glued to her and waiting for some kind of response.

Sakura did shift a bit, but that's only because she was losing feeling in her butt and legs from sitting for so long.

The man huffed and bent down in attempt to be eye level with her. He crooked his head to try and make eye contact, searching for her eyes underneath her messy bangs. But she lowered her gaze even more as she looked at a spot closer to her on the ground.

"Because of the drug we gave you, it's important that you put something in your stomach. You'll get sick if you don't." He said casually.

She looked up at him now, expression never changing. The man's eyebrow twitched the slightest bit when his eyes met hers. They seemed so… dead. They were bright, yes. But they were dead. They were very different from when they first took her. She stared at them differently now, no longer containing the fiery passion.

He chalked it off though and frowned.

"Fine," He said, shrugging and rising to his feet in one springy motion. "Don't come crying to anyone when you aren't feeling well." He said and bent down to pick up the glass and dish from off the ground. He looked to her for a moment and placed the edge of the glass to his thin lips and drank all of the water right in front of her, sighing dramatically when finished as he was refreshed.

Sakura didn't react at all and only stared at him as he exited the room. What a jackass.

She then became fully aware of her body's feelings. Her mouth and throat were still very dry and actually a bit sore. Most likely a result from her constant pathetic crying, which then caused her to take notice of her face and eyes. She could feel the dryness of her skin and cheeks which were caused by the constant streams of salt left by her tears, and her eyes felt incredibly dry too… And very heavy.

This is why having time alone and to herself was bad for Sakura. Her thoughts began to travel down bad paths again, only this time, she didn't stop them.

She began to think about how badly she had just screwed up. Poor Hinata… she had been so scared, so embarrassed… Sakura couldn't stand it. Hinata was such a pure, sweet girl. To see her touched so inappropriately was just sickening, and the thought of it actually made her stomach hurt again.

She tried to understand now what she had been thinking when she volunteered to be taken. These…these men… They have touched her so disgustingly. She was never as obvious as Hinata, but she was incredibly embarrassed. She had never been with a guy… especially touched in such a way by one.

But in all honesty, she could get past all that right now. Because the worst of it all by far was that they had kissed her; and more than once too. She had been waiting for her first kiss, always imagining how wonderful and special it would be, and they took that from her.

Sakura bit her lip at the thought and fought back her threatening tears. She could remember it all… the way their kisses felt… there was no pleasure. It was just an invasion of space and downright disgusting.

She didn't know why, but immediately her next thought was about Naruto. The moment his face entered her mind, her heart could have literally sunk. He has always been a source of comfort to her, but right now, he caused her such sadness.

His charming face and his bright eyes that always looked upon her with such joy would only turn on her and pierce her with all the hurt, anger, and betrayal he would be feeling at that moment.

A small cry escaped her throat and she grabbed at her chest.

And that was about all it took. She clumsily sprang to her feet as she headed towards the nearest corner of the room and emptied her stomach onto the ground.

Falling to her knees, she placed her hand on the rough cold wall in front of her and bent over, letting out another round.

Great, it was bile. That was never good. She stood up shakily when she was done and slowly walked over to the opposite corner of the room, the darkest corner, and just plopped down right there. Her whole body felt heavy.

She was not feeling well at all. Tears once again made their way down Sakura's cheeks and she rested her head backwards against the wall, coughing as fluids settled in the back of her throat.

She felt so helpless right now. Just, utterly miserable.

* * *

It had only been about thirty minutes since they left the village and Akamaru seemed to have keyed in on something. Barking, he picked up the speed and Kiba frowned.

"He's locked in on her." He called out behind him.

Another bark.

"About twenty minutes away." He said, looking forward again.

Naruto focused somberly ahead. He'd find Sakura and obliterate the bastards that took her.

Yamato noticed Naruto's expression and grimaced. He knew that look…

"Naruto."

He looked over.

"We are serious about you taking orders…"

He said, eyeing him worriedly.

"I know…"

Yamato sighed. "Let's take a quick break." He suggested, bringing everyone to a halt.

"What!" Naruto argued, quite upset that they stopped. He needed to get to her!

"Naruto… come talk with me. Everyone else, take a breather." Yamato said and headed into some nearby woods a bit, checking to make sure Naruto was in tow. When he found a good enough spot he stopped and turned to face him. And he looked quite put out.

"Naruto…" He sighed. How could he put this? "What have you noticed about the team Tsunade formed?" He asked, placing his hands in his pockets.

Naruto thought about it for a long moment. "Uh… we're all guys?"

Yamato nodded. "That's right. And do you know why?"

Naruto just stared at him.

"Based off of Hinata's story, these men that took Sakura… they have a certain mindset towards women. They aren't above hurting them in… inappropriate ways." He said, feeling a bit of a lump in his throat.

Naruto continued to just stare at him. "I don't-"

"-In other words… I would not be surprised in the slightest to find Sakura in a similar condition. As female ninja, they are always taught that they are at risk of such attacks. Sakura has been in their company for over twenty four hours, Naruto. I'd be surprised if she hasn't undergone some form of… of sexual assault."

Naruto's face paled and his mouth parted slightly. He had no idea what to say. No… nothing like that happened to Sakura. She was exceptionally strong…

Yamato scratched his hair nervously. "You must stay calm when you see her though, Naruto. It's crucial."

Naruto remained silent for another long moment, but finally nodded.

The two of them joined the group again, and they took off.

* * *

The door opened, and in walked bastard number one again.

Sakura's head shot forward and stared at the intruder. For some reason unknown to her, she found herself beginning to fear these men. Before, she couldn't have cared less. But, there was just something about them. Their nonchalant attitude towards everything, their sudden displays of rage, and the fact that they seemed to outsmart or foil every plan of hers, made her heart quicken every time one of them entered the room. She was at their mercy, and thought of being powerless was beyond unsettling.

The man looked around the room for a quick second but immediately locked in on her form.

"What are you doing over there in the dark?" he asked, amusement seeping out with his words.

Sakura still didn't answer him. This time it was not out of stubbornness, but simply because she didn't feel well enough to talk.

"Come here." He ordered, chuckling.

Sakura swallowed painfully and stood up shakily, hesitating before approaching him, and stumbling when she did so.

The man's eyes widened at the sight of her as she stepped out of the shadow. She looked miserable. There were dark circles under her eyes, and her skin seemed just a bit paler than usual, even in the dim lighting.

Sakura stopped about a foot away and looked at him nervously, rubbing her bare shoulder with her hand.

He eyed her curiously and held up a glass of water, extending his arm out and offering it to her.

She looked to the water and then back up at him, unsure of whether or not she should take it.

"I told you you'd get sick. There's no more food right now, but you can at least get some water into your system." He said simply.

Sakura licked her dry lips and stared at the glass once more before reaching out and taking it, beginning to gulp it down almost immediately.

The man grinned and looked around as she consumed the water, immediately noticing that she had thrown up in the other corner. Frowning, he looked to her again. In all honesty, he didn't care that she wasn't feeling well. The weaker she was the better.

When Sakura finished, she handed the glass back to him, coughing into her arm as she did so.

It was definitely refreshing, but her body wasn't familiar with it enough. It tasted gross after the bile that had been in her mouth.

The man took it from her and folded his arms across his chest as he looked over her form once more. I was as though he were checking for something… analyzing her…

Sakura looked to the ground, unable to meet his gaze as it burned her.

Without another word, the man wandered off and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Sakura stood there for a long moment before returning to her corner. She took her original seat and lay down on her side on the cold dirt ground, facing the wall.

She had become very used to her surroundings now. It was constantly dark with very dim lighting, provided by two single torches on the back wall. The air was musty and damp, and the room itself was a little cool. At least, the ground was anyway.

She hated being left alone in here, constantly suffering from anticipation. Any one of those guys could walk in at any second and do whatever the hell they pleased. And now she was so weak, that they could probably get away with it.

And to top it all off, she wouldn't really be rescued. Even if-no-when Naruto shows up, it will just be more trouble for everyone. She just prayed to God that Tsunade would not send him.

But, that would just be unrealistic. Sakura sighed and closed her eyes. There was no way she'd be able to get to sleep, but she did want to try to rest her eyes and calm down.

* * *

Apparently Sakura did somehow manage to get a nap in there, because she found herself waking up to the sound of that creaking door again. Her body tensed up and she just remained unmoving, fearful of drawing attention.

She could hear the shuffling of a pair of feet as they moved lazily against the ground and soon were joined by more. Oh fuck…

Sakura began to pray to herself. She wanted them to just leave her alone. She wanted them to just carry on with whatever they were doing. Why did they have to keep coming in here? This room was like a cage, and whenever one of them came in they could do what they wanted in these confined spaces.

She bit at her lip nervously and squeezed her fists tightly.

'Please go away…'

"Well what do have here?" a male voice asked, which she recognized as the leader.

'Shit!'

"I told you she got weak…"

Bastard number one.

"Tch. About damn time!"

Bastard number two.

She heard a roar of laughter and some more shuffling as someone moved towards her, approaching dangerously fast. As she began to move her stiff body, she was suddenly overwhelmed by a sharp pain all over the surface of her scalp.

She gasped when she felt rough fingers entwine in her locks at the very root and screamed when she was pulled roughly away from the wall by only her hair.

Her hands reflexively shot up to grab at the man's wrist, digging her nails at it desperately.

Sakura began to writhe as she was dragged to the center of the room, small stones slicing at her and causing her to cry out more loudly in pain.

"Ow! Oow!" She cried and gasped loudly when she was finally dropped to the hard ground.

The hand left her and she immediately grabbed at her sensitive head, crying. . It hurt so badly.

There were quiet whispers amongst them as the three stood above her, and she looked up at them nervously through blurry eyes. The leader knelt down and began to caress her arm softly.

"Sorry about that sweetheart." He said; the smile in his voice very clear.

He felt her move her arm away from his touch and sighed.

Sakura gasped when she was greeted by what felt to be a sharp, piercing cold metal angled dangerously at her neck, stilling her at once. She looked up at him fearfully out of the corner of her eye and let him move her arm out of the way with his hand like a little child.

"There you go…" He said as he guided her arm and shoulder slowly to the ground, thus rolling her onto her back.

She looked up at him partially wide eyed being very careful not to move, whimpering nervously.

The man looked up at the other two with a knowing look before gazing down at Sakura again.

She watched as they each took their own positions at either side of her and her heart quickened. She made eye contact with bastard number one and saw the lack of any emotion or concern, causing her chest to tighten. Her attention was stolen though when she felt the cold object begin to move.

The man remained expressionless as he dragged the kunai torturously slow away from her neck and down her chest, noticing Sakura's body tense at this action. He grabbed a portion from the top of her tank top and pulled it down aggressively, leaving it caught up at the underside of her breasts, revealing almost all of her bra to them.

Sakura practically squealed and naturally began to squirm, but stopped when she felt an increase of pressure on her skin from the kunai. The man was looking down at her with such a serious and threatening expression that it sent chills down her spine.

"Stay still." He ordered, staring her in the eye for a long moment before continuing.

He dragged the weapon even further down and slipped it beneath the thin fabric in the middle of her bra, keeping his eyes on Sakura's. At first she wasn't looking at him. She had her eyes closed and her head turned away. But when she felt him stop what he was doing and remained still, only then did she look at him.

The moments she did, the man grinned and pulled the kunai upward forcefully, slicing right through the material and exposing her breasts to all three men.

Sakura cried out and instinctively threw her arms up to cover herself tightly, only to feel them pried away from her.

The other men each took hold of an arm and pinned them to the ground on either side of her, practically crushing them into the ground and disabling the use of them, once again allowing access to her chest.

The man above her, the boss, had his eyes glued to her precious mounds, smirking disgustingly in a way that made Sakura's face flare up.

"No… please…" she started to beg, staring at the man who had complete control.

"Ha! Look how red she is!" the voice to her right exclaimed, further deepening her blush.

"Hmm, her friend was definitely bigger."

"Yeah, but look how perky hers are!"

"Very true."

They laughed on both sides of her, filling her ears with their taunts.

"What about you? Are you a virgin too?" One of them asked. She couldn't discern their voices anymore. They were all cruel and they all sounded the same to her.

Sakura sniveled and struggled more under their grasp. But it was no use. She couldn't move!

"She is!"

The leader pulled the ruined bra away from her and discarded it somewhere across the room before pulling the upper part of her top back up, temporarily covering her. He then ripped a large portion of the hem off the bottom and crumpled it into a ball before setting it on the ground beside him.

The sound of her shirt ripping echoed loudly throughout her ears and Sakura shuddered at the cool air that now tickled her now exposed stomach.

"Hot damn!" One of the men commented.

"Please…stop" She said quietly, looking only at the man above her and trying her best to ignore the other two. Why did this scene always keep manifesting itself? She constantly found herself pleading with this man. However, she supposed she should have learned by now that he never listened to her.

She gasped when his hands found their way onto her waist, burning her with his heat. She flinched and began to struggle again when he slowly let his hands travel upward, rising her shirt up with every inch, only stopping to rest on her ribcage and rubbing it gently.

"No… please.." she mumbled. Sakura felt so pathetic for begging him, but she was so desperate.

"Is it true?" he asked, leaning in a bit.

"Wh-what?"

"Are you a virgin, sweetie?"

Sakura didn't answer. It was such a rude question, to say the least. But when she felt his hands slide upwards the slightest bit she freaked.

"Y-yes!"

He stopped.

"Have you been with a man at all?"

She looked away and chewed on the inside of her cheek.

His hands traveled again, now pressing against the underside of her breasts.

"No! No…I-I haven't."

She didn't miss the smile on his face. Clearly he was enjoying this… Sick fuck. Whatever, she'd let him stay on that high horse of his, as long as he stopped doing this.

But, all hopes were shattered the moment he cupped her breasts in his large hands.

A moan escaped and she once again began to struggle beneath him when he started to massage them. He was too rough, and it almost hurt.

"Stop!" She sobbed, trying to push herself backwards and away from him. But as usual, that did nothing for her. They had her pinned good, and she knew she wasn't going anywhere until they said so.

"Yeah… rub them good. Get her all worked up." She heard from her left side.

So, she went still and tried her best to just disconnect herself mentally. And it somewhat worked. It didn't block these men out completely, she could still feel their presence, and there were still faint sensations on her body, but she was able to focus elsewhere.

She actually thought of Naruto again. His face, his bright smile, is bright blue eyes… There was always something about the thought of him that brought her joy. It was weird that she'd think of him now, but again, she was desperate. She imagined Naruto was the one touching her. He'd be less harsh about it, and definitely much more loving.

Normally she'd slap herself for even thinking of Naruto in such ways. But, it eased her, and she needed that right now.

However, her thoughts were interrupted when the man's actions came to a halt and his face hovered right above hers. She looked up at him lifelessly and closed her eyes when he drew closer.

The man kept one hand firmly on her breast and kneaded it while he placed the other on her upper neck as he stoked her cheek with his thumb, moistening it with her own tears.

She felt his lips press themselves to hers and she turned her mouth into a hard line, her body now shaking against him as she cried.

He removed his hand from her chest and placed it on the other side of her head and into her hair, earning a soft squeak like sound.

Sakura felt the repetitive kisses that he placed on her mouth. He'd give her a peck and then draw back.

"Kiss me back." He breathed.

But Sakura disobeyed and only turned her head away.

The man growled lowly in frustration and tangled both sets of fingers in her messy hair, gripping her head tightly and lifting it less than an inch from the ground only to slam it back down.

She yelped and only continued to cry.

"I said, kiss me back." He demanded as he forced his mouth onto hers again.

This time she obeyed and begrudgingly parted her lips the tiniest bit. But apparently that's all he needed because he smiled and quickly forced his tongue in. She didn't respond at first as she tried to keep the bile down. But when she felt him tighten his grip in her hair again, she whined and moved her mouth against his, letting her tongue brush carefully over his own and earning a groan from him.

And that small sound of pleasure, for a reason unknown to her, sent the strangest sensation straight down between her legs.

Okay, she was really going to be sick.

He placed small kisses just below her earlobe before giving it a small lick and breathing against her ear.

Sakura could feel the heat gathering below, and she cried more. She hated her body right now. She hated that these men could make her body react this way, even if she was unwilling.

Suddenly the door flew open and slammed so loudly, causing everyone to freeze and turn their attention to the interrupting source.

"…What the fuck" came a loud voice from behind her. And at that moment the man's body as well as all hands left her, leaving her to lay there alone.

…Wait… that voice…

Sakura quickly sat up and whipped her head around to face the door, gasping loudly when she did.

No way…

"No!" Sakura shrieked, clenching her fists. "Naruto, no!" Tears only continued to roll down her face and she clumsily tried to get to her knees.

Naruto stared at her absolutely shocked. He was so happy to see her! But that happiness left him as quickly as it came.

This was Sakura… and he had just seen her on the ground with these men…

"Sakura-Chan…what-"

"-no! Naruto, please go!" She sobbed, finally standing to her feet.

The site of her was appalling. She was an absolute mess.

"Sakura I...What did they do to you!" He stepped forward, now sounding angrier.

"Please go, Naruto… This was all a set up! They want you, not me!" She cried.

Bastard number two grinned and slowly got to his feet. He made his way over, standing now between him and Sakura.

"What the fuck did you do to her!" He demanded, clenching his fists dangerously.

But she immediately saw two more men show up in the hallway, and before she could say anything they had already com up behind Naruto.

"Naruto!" She yelled, as they lunged at him.

Naruto was no idiot though. He sensed them immediately and lifted his arm, swinging around and slamming his elbow into the chest of one of the men. And that's all it took. Naruto was fighting against all three in an instant.

Sakura had no chakra…but she wanted to help him! However, the moment she made any gesture she felt something hard hit her in the back of her legs and she collapsed to her hands and knees.

The man, for the millionth time, grabbed her by her hair and whipped out a kunai, placing it to Sakura's throat and earning a cry from her. Her head was in so much pain.

Once again, everyone stopped but now faced their way.

Naruto saw the man's hold on Sakura and growled.

"Let her go!" He demanded.

"Then don't fight!" the man retaliated.

Naruto scowled deeply and looked to Sakura again.

"Naruto don't worry about me!" She ordered, whimpering when her hair was yanked a bit. "Please…" She looked at him so worryingly, trying so hard to plead with him.

And it broke Naruto's heart. He couldn't just leave her though. It hadn't even been forty eight hours yet, and she already looked like she had been put through hell.

He stared at her intently for the longest moment until his expression changed to one of great apology. And before she could protest, He spoke out.

"Fine." He said and relaxed himself.

Immediately one of the men approached him from behind and slid his arms roughly beneath his, pulling them painfully upwards and holding him in a tight lock; earning a small grunt from Naruto.

"No!" Sakura cried. She watched as the man guided Naruto to a nearby corner while the other closed the door and stood in front of it. It was now the exact same five men that had attacked her and Hinata, against her and Naruto…

"No no no! Let him go! Please!" She cried desperately and tried to move forward.

"Mind you're place!" The man yelled and pulled her back towards him.

Naruto watched as her tears stained the ground beneath her and felt as though his heart was slowly being ripped from his chest. He hated seeing her so upset. But the thought of him just leaving her here was just unbearable.

He was so pissed off with these bastards… it wasn't even funny.

"What the fuck is all of this about?" he asked the man who held Sakura.

The man laughed and looked down at the pink haired woman before him.

"Well, to put it simply, we were asked by the Akatsuki to get hold of your body for them." He laughed again as Sakura went rigid.

"We are all from Konoha as well, and so we have been able to watch you very closely, Uzumaki Naruto." He grinned at the blonde who was glaring daggers at him.

"We have seen how you look at little pinky here, and we thought we'd use that to our advantage. So, the other night we followed her and her friend around until we found them in a fairly quite area. We didn't want to draw any other attention, you see. So some of my men wanted to have a little fun with these girls, and I let them." He shrugged.

Sakura growled and clenched her fists tightly, only serving to further amuse the man holding her.

"But you see Sakura just couldn't stomach it I guess. So…" He grabbed at her hair tighter and bent down to her ear. "Get on the ground." He whispered dangerously, and she complied.

Naruto started to move but was pulled back again roughly.

"So being the little whore that she is, she offered herself over to us willingly. This is why she's here now." He knelt down beside her.

"And she's such an obedient little bitch. She fulfilled her role perfectly in drawing you in." He said proudly, pressing Sakura into the ground a little and earning a soft cry.

Naruto clenched his jaw and fists tightly and began to struggle once again. He felt like he was losing his energy though, and he didn't know why.

"Sakura!" He called out.

The man could see the confusion in Naruto's face and smirked.

"In case you were wondering, you are currently being drained of your chakra." He said nonchalantly.

"Fuck you!" Sakura yelled up at him. This couldn't be happening.

The man grinned evilly and pressed the side of her face into the ground as he placed the kunai to the back of her neck, earning a hiss.

"Yes, I will fuck you." He laughed as he waved bastard number two over.

Naruto snarled and struggled even more, finding the task to be taking its toll on him. He couldn't let this happen. He…he had to help her right now!

Sakura began to thrash about when she felt two sets of hands pawing at her once again as they worked together in getting her to roll onto her back.

"No!"She cried, trying her hardest to swat the hands away. There was no surprise this time. She knew now what happened when they got her on the ground like that, and she would not go through it again.

"Fuckin' hold her down!" The man ordered and bastard number frowned. He tried to get hold of her arms but she had moved them in front of her and was now clawing at the ground, trying her hardest to pull her body forward and away from them.

"Damn, she's fighting back more this time." He said amusingly.

Of course she was. There was no way they could assault her in front of Naruto! That would be absolutely humiliating.

He grabbed her violently by the neck and pulled her towards him, succeeding in getting hold of one of her arms as the leader had grabbed her other, forcing her backwards and to the ground. Bastard number two grabbed her wrists painfully hard and pinned them down above her head.

And that was it. She couldn't move against his hold on her.

The man leaned down once she was in place and began ravishing her face and neck with kisses, earning whimpers and cries from Sakura.

"No! Please… please stop!" She wailed, her face red and eyes leaking her tears like crazy.

"Stop your crying, slut!" The man ordered, slapping her across the face.

Naruto snarled. "Sakura! Fucking bastards, let her go!" He yelled.

The man paused for a moment and looked up at the furious blonde.

"No. And I'd be careful now if I were you. She served her purpose. If you even start to make your way over here, I promise you I will kill her." He said seriously, showing him the kunai to further convince him.

Naruto fumed and stared at him with such rage… such hate…

The man smiled and slid his hands up Sakura's shirt, continuing on from earlier and massaging her breasts, intentionally making a show out of it for Naruto.

Sakura closed her eyes and just cried. She felt so humiliated and so violated. And she felt so disgusted by the soft moans and whimpers that were betraying her.

The man smiled and continued to kiss and suck on her neck.

"You know, this is really turning Naruto on." He said evilly. "Go ahead and moan for him." He said and brushed over her nipples.

Sakura moaned and let out a little sob, looking up at the ceiling. She immediately tensed up though the moment she felt his hands leave her chest and began to work on the buttons of her shorts.

He began to pull them down enough just tease her and make her squirm, revealing some of her panties.

"No!" She yelled and attempted to wiggle away from him. But that was impossible since he had his weight on top of her.

The man cupped her face a bit roughly and quickly bent down, giving her a forceful kiss.

She cried against him and accidently permitted him access to her mouth again, which he of course took full advantage of as he dipped his tongue in and further deepened the kiss.

She just let tears run helplessly down her face and shifted her eyes over at Naruto.

The look in her eyes did it for him. Everything else up to this point had been filling him to the brink with anger and fury. But the moment that man kissed her and her eyes met his, he just lost it. They were full of so much sorrow, anger, sadness… he couldn't bare it. Damn the torpedoes. The man wouldn't have enough time to kill Sakura if he tried.

Red chakra immediately began to seethe off of him, causing the man that was absorbing his flow to yell out almost painfully, gaining everyone's attention.

* * *

**O_O; Please forgive me for stopping it right there. I probably would have kept going... but who is to say you'd all come back to read it then? Anyway, thank you for the reviews! And pleeeaaase keep leaving them. PLEASEEEEE! Because... I may very well whip up another chapter very soon. But, you need to flatter me with your kind words :o [cough] Bye!**


	5. Get Her Out!

She could feel him. His hands were so rough, so cruel. There was nothing loving about the way this man was touching her right now. Sakura had found herself sometimes imagining what it would be like when she finally gave herself to the man she loved. She dreamed about it being romantic and special; that, she'd be giving her body over pure and without blemish.

Her significant other would look upon her and marvel at her beauty; even if she didn't think of herself as beautiful. He'd be gentle and caring towards her, showing her just how deep his love for her was.

There was a day where she imagined this very man to be none other than Sasuke. Yes, Sasuke; her childhood crush. He'd make her feel pretty; make her think she was actually worth something. But then reality hit her hard. Over the years she had come to painfully realize that such a dream was just immature and downright childish. She was way out of the vengeful Uchiha's league; silly her for thinking otherwise.

But in all honesty, she was grateful. A part of her wanted to stand before Sasuke, look him in the eye, and thank him for leaving; because if he hadn't, she may have never come to notice Naruto's love for her… Yes, the young blond was in love with her. He always was, and always will; she supposed. But now she wasn't so sure of that. Now she was filthy, defiled, impure, touched. Did this make her a slut, just as the man had accused her? Why would Naruto, or any man for that matter, want to lay a finger on her? She wouldn't if she were them.

All she could do now was lay here, on this hard cold soil, and be molested in front of the very person who only ever truly loved her. The amount of humiliation she felt at this moment could not be put into words. She wanted to scream. She wanted to pound something. She wanted to tear her way out of her very own skin.

To be trapped in a cold dark room full of perverted males, being the only female, kept alive solely to fulfill their sexual needs, was more than degrading. Didn't they understand that she was a person, a human being that actually had feelings? Clearly they didn't. Or they did, they just didn't give a shit.

When the man placed his dry lips upon hers for the thousandth time, she lost the will to fight. Though she may not have admitted it so easily, Sakura had really taken a liking to Naruto over the years. Perhaps she could safely say she was in love with him too. And she had even contemplated kissing him at times. But, her pride would not permit such things.

The man kissed her again.

All she could keep thinking about was the fact that her kiss, her very first kiss, a kiss that she was saving for the right person who came along, had been stolen and more. It was snatched away, and utterly destroyed. All determination was lost with this very act. And so she went limp and allowed her body to fit against the dirt, hoping to become one with it. She had heard Naruto's pleas and protests in the background, but his precise words were unknown to her. She couldn't bear to hear him, only look at him. Though, that may have been the worst thing she could have possibly done. His face just brought forth a new stream of tears down her face and tremors throughout her frame.

Her eyes never left his, and when she saw his beautiful blue irises fade to that all too familiar deep red, her heart nearly skipped a beat. She flinched when the man holding Naruto captive screamed and she remained unmoving; especially when the man atop her halted his actions. Maybe she could be invisible now. Maybe he'd forget about her.

The man stared in awe at the boy before him. There was a look in those crimson eyes of his. He was angry… bloodthirsty. Just waiting for the right moment to kill; he was sure of it. He removed his hand slowly from Sakura's chest and grabbed his kunai once more.

Sakura's eyes slowly traveled to the man's hands before wandering up to his face. She could see the tiniest trace of fear and she smiled ever so faintly.

Looking over at Naruto again, she frowned when it was apparent that he was trying his hardest to restrain himself. She knew it was always a battle for him, and for that she was sorry. She was sorry to have caused all of this.

The moment the man took hold of that weapon, Naruto nearly exploded with the kyuubi's deadly chakra. It engulfed and swirled around him before quickly dissipating and leaving him with four tails that whipped around furiously.

Sakura gasped and immediately sat up, trying her absolute hardest to push herself away from the man standing above her, looking almost like a pathetic and clumsy form of crab walk. This was no longer Naruto. In this state, there was no such thing as friend or foe; putting her in a dangerous predicament.

The man growled and whipped his head down to look at her.

"Oh no you don't!" He hissed, quickly moving to get hold of her before changing his direction at the last minute, dodging the oncoming attack of Naruto.

Naruto growled with furry and landed on the ground in a skidding motion, much like a wild cat chasing his prey; which was essentially what he was. He was now prey. His reflexes were fast and his strength was superb.

Meanwhile the other men stood by frozen in fear and some injured. They looked over at Sakura who was quickly trying to adjust any of her clothing she could. Naruto's state seemed to be nothing new to her, they figured.

Within moments, the door and the wall surrounding it exploded inwards with a cloud of dirt and debris, hazing the room temporarily and earning cries of surprise from all around. You couldn't see a thing for the longest moment, and it was a bit difficult to breathe.

Coughing, Sakura looked to the source and lit up.

"Kiba!" She coughed and moved shakily onto one knee.

Kiba looked over immediately upon hearing his name, eyes widening at the mere sight of Sakura. He wouldn't have really recognized her if she hadn't been the only female in the room. He jumped off of Akamaru with haste and ran to her aid.

A few of the other men used this time to escape the room for fear of further injury. Clearly this had gotten worse than they had anticipated.

"Sakura…oh my…I…shit!" He didn't know what to say. He was actually afraid to touch her. Not to mention the condition of her attire almost made him worry about seemingly handling her inappropriately. "Can you walk?" He asked, noticing that she was barely able to keep balance on her knee.

"Yes, I think so..." She answered quickly but quietly as she reached her arm out, accepting his help when he wrapped his arm around her for support.

He started to lead her carefully over to his loyal companion, but flinched at a sudden loud noise behind them. Naruto was incredibly aggressive at the moment, and Kiba needed to get Sakura out of here immediately.

Muttering some form of apology, he lifted her up into his arms and rushed her over towards Akamaru, nearly jumping again when Naruto roared loudly in response to what he now saw to be large masses of wood emerging from the ground, spiraling upward and attempting to take hold of the raging boy.

He looked to the hallway and saw Yamato, hands held in a form that clearly showed he was responsible.

Sakura moaned once placed onto the warm furry back of the overgrown dog, and entwined her tired fingers within it, relishing in the feel of anything that wasn't hard ground.

"What…what about Naruto?" She asked when it appeared as though they were about to head out.

Kiba quickly hopped up on his dog's back and placed his hand on her so as to hold her in place, ignoring Sakura's question.

"Kiba?" She asked again, sitting up a bit and turning her head to look at him. She saw Naruto being chased by the heaps of wood and her heartbeat quickened.

Akamaru whined and eyed his master.

"It's okay, boy. Go." Kiba ordered, receiving a bark in understanding and doing a 180 before bolting out of there.

Sakura's chest tightened and her heart suddenly was pounding. "No! We need to help Naruto! We can't just leave him there!" Sakura yelled, beginning to lift herself up further, eyes wide and face furious.

Kiba avoided eye contact with her and exchanged a knowing glance with Yamato when he passed by him, all the while remaining silent.

"Kiba! I'm fucking serious! Turn around and help him! We can't just leave him there!"

More silence.

"Kiba! Son of a… I mean it! I'm not leaving here without him! I'll-"

Kiba hit her hard in the temple, knocking her out cold and reacting quickly to catch her now very limp body.

Akamaru whined again and carried on, running through tunnel after tunnel before finally reaching the opening.

Kiba's eyes winced as the sunlight blinded him, but quickly adjusted as Akamaru made his way skillfully through the deep woods. He could have sworn he heard another roar from Naruto, but he liked to think it was all in his mind.

Once they were far enough away, Kiba gently patted Akamaru on his back, signaling for him to slow down; Akamaru complying.

"Good boy." He said, now looking down at Sakura as they paced themselves in trotting along the dirt trail. The sunlight exposed her even more, and the sight of her was truly appalling. There was a constriction in his chest, similar to when he saw Hinata. Kiba was quite the pervert; and he'd be the first to smile his toothy canine grin and admit it. But this…this was just sickening.

They neared a large tree that just towered over them and stopped beside it. Kiba hopped of his dogs' back in one fluid motion and then proceeded to carefully lift Sakura, finding a nice little patch of grass and laying her down in it. He stood above her and finally took in her whole appearance.

Her body as a whole was just filthy. Her skin was clammy, and layers of dirt seemed to have caked on; some areas more so than others. There were also many cuts, scrapes, and bruises that marked her skin. He assumed she had no chakra because she would have healed that crap.

His eyes then traveled to her clothing. No shoes, worn out shorts-and like her skin-filthy, and her shirt… Well, as already mentioned, Kiba was a guy. So naturally he would notice the fact that she was not wearing a bra. However, under the given circumstance, he took no pleasure in this. Her white tank top was stained with sweat and dirt, especially in the front, and it seemed a bit too loose on her, as if stretched.

His eyes then traveled to her face, which to him was the worst part. Like the rest of her body, it was caked on with sweat and dirt; pink strands of damp tangled hair clung to it desperately. However, the only difference here was that there were cleared trails starting from her eyes and ending at both her chin and her jaw line. There were also separate trails ending near her ears. It was very obvious that these were formed by tears and he didn't even know how to react. Her lips were swollen and somewhat bruised, as was one of her cheeks, but not as bad. He also of course noticed the nice ring that had begun to form around the temple of her eye and felt like the biggest asshole for hitting her earlier. He was not one to just hit a woman. Especially a comrade. But the circumstance really called for it.

Akamaru pressed himself against Kiba's side, sensing his anger.

"It's alright…" He assured him, patting his head. They noticed a large shadow ghost over them as the sun was blocked, and watched as its source landed on the ground near them.

"Nice of you to finally show up." He said, eyeing the large ink bird.

Sai just rolled his eyes and hopped down.

"I see you were able to get hold of her." He stated as he approached them, eyes widening at the sight of Sakura's limp form. His mouth parted as though he was going to say something, but when nothing came out, and just closed it and looked at Kiba.

But Kiba didn't say a word either. He didn't have to.

Sakura's body said it all.

They just looked at each other and Kiba lifted Sakura up once more, carrying her over to the massive bird of ink and setting her on it when it bent down. Sai made sure she was secure before hopping onto it himself. He looked at Kiba once more and nodded before quickly taking off again.

Kiba let out a long sigh and propped himself up against the closest tree. He figured he might be there a while.

* * *

The air was cool as it swirled around in Sai's face and it was a feeling he'd become quite accustomed to. He looked down at his teammates form again. It just seemed so… broken. That was his only word for it.

Sai wasn't one to have emotions, but the feeling he felt when he looked upon Sakura was one he couldn't identify. He didn't understand what had happened to her. Maybe because he couldn't fathom how it could possibly happen to her.

Ever since he'd know Sakura, he had always noticed her attitude. He learned very quickly not to mess with her if he wanted to keep his face. Sakura had a short temper; and when provoked, the damage she could cause was outstanding.

So to see her in such a condition just made little to no sense to him. Sighing, he looked ahead again, focusing on the path before him. He could only imagine Naruto's reaction will be when he sees her. Sai knew very well of his blonde teammate's feelings towards Sakura and he knew Naruto was going to be more than pissed.

* * *

KONOHA HOSPITAL:

….

*Beep.*

*Beep.*

"Ra…"

*Beep.*

"…Ra."

*Beep.*

"..kura.."

*Beep.*

"Sakura.."

*Beep.* "Sakura.."

"Sakura… Sakura?"

"No, bring it over here.."

"Sakura? How are you feeling?"

"Get some water too, please."

A young woman just stood above…staring.

'Where…where am I?'

*Click*

"Tsunade-sama!"

'Tsunade?'

"That is all for now. Please give me a few minutes."

"Yes, Ma'am. "

*Silence."

"Sakura…"

I looked at the beautiful woman beside me. Her face was so… grim. And her eyes… those deep brown eyes looked to be searching my own as though she were looking for something. But I couldn't understand what. I remained unmoving as I just stared at her back.

"How are you feeling?"

Feeling? Was I supposed to be feeling anything? Why do they keep asking me that? I don't feel like talking. Maybe it's because I'm tired? Or because my mouth is dry. I'm not sure… I lick my lips and let out a small sigh.

"Thirsty? Are you thirsty? There's some water here-"

I look at the glass in her hands with disinterest. I don't really feel like doing anything. She sets it down and rubs her temples.

"We haven't been able to heal you yet… I don't understand why. But it has been requested that we don't. Not yet anyway. The ANBU took a look at you in hopes of gaining any information…or something like that. And they ask we leave you untouched for a little while longer."

Now that she says that, I do feel dirty.

"Well, I can see you aren't in the mood to talk. I'll uh… I'll give you some time alone." She stood up slowly and looked at me again. "There's some food and water next to you. Please eat something… and drink…"

I watched as she left the room and rested my eyes for a moment before opening them. I was now all alone. The room had a nice sunset glow to it that allowed me to somewhat relax. But that didn't last long at all. I was left to my own thoughts and so now I remembered why I was here… I looked down and saw that I was still wearing the same clothing and my face heated. I still had on my white tank top…and I was so indecent! My throat tightened and I quickly gripped the sheets and pulled them up to cover myself. It was all becoming more and more clear now.

She saw the scrapes and bruises on her arms and she didn't need to look at the rest of her body to know they were there too. She could feel them. Her whole body ached. And yes, she was hungry. But she couldn't eat. She felt like she would be sick if she did and there was a part of her that wanted to deprive herself.

Sakura closed her eyes and calmed herself before blocking out any other thoughts. For now, anyway.

* * *

Nyaaah. Don't hurt me! I'm sorry it took so long :( School is keeping me busy... but hey! I already have the next chapter in the works so that should be up soon!

R&R pleeeaaaaase! 3


	6. A Path to Recovery?

Hey! I finally return with another chapter! Enjoy~

* * *

Sakura found herself waking up once again from the sound of motion in her room. She placed her hand on her head and groaned. It still hurt. But it didn't take long for her to recognize though who it was that had entered her room.

Her eyes fixed to some sort of glare as she watched him approach her bed.

"Hey…," The boy said kind of sheepishly, rubbing the side of his face anxiously.

Sakura just looked down and picked at her fingernails, removing bits of dirt from them which flaked off into tiny little bits onto the clean bed sheets.

"Right… I know you're mad at me…" he said quietly, watching the dirt come off of Sakura's nails.

Looking up, Kiba stared at the bruise that formed on her temple and let out a long sigh, ruffling his fingers now through his dark hair.

He sat back in the uncomfortable chair and just shook his head.

"Man, you look like shit." He said as he folded his arms over his chest, once again taking in the sight of her.

Sakura froze and just looked up at him, eyebrow twitching ever so slightly, and held her sheets up to her again as she peered at him from out of the corner of her eye, almost glaring.

Kiba laughed dryly. He wasn't going to tell her that there was no use in covering up; that he'd seen her already. She knew it too.

"No offence." He added, raising his hand defensively and looking at her face.

Sakura looked away again and closed her eyes.

There seemed to be the longest pause and Sakura couldn't tell if it was awkward or not. She enjoyed her quiet tome to a degree, but this was Kiba. To have him sit there and actually remain quiet was just weird.

"I see you haven't touched your food or water…" He said; breaking the silence before looking at the I.V placed into her arm. It was good that they were getting some fluids in her…

"They won't be very happy if they see you haven't touched it at all." He added, now picking at his own fingers.

When it seemed Sakura just wasn't going to talk, he let out a long sigh again and sat forward and gripped his knees, readying himself to leave the room. "Well then, I'll go ask Tsunade if Naruto is cooled off now I guess." He said nonchalantly, earning Sakura's attention.

She looked up and faced him directly know, lips slightly parted and eyes widened.

Kiba could only smile. Of course now she would listen to what he had to say. "Yeah, I guess he came in here earlier and took one look at ya. I heard he was pissed! He needed to be escorted to a separate room to calm down." He informed her.

Sakura's heart began to speed up ever so slightly and her eyes widened further.

She closed her mouth and swallowed as she just stared off at some random wall.

Kiba remained silent for a few minutes, letting her think whatever she was thinking. When it seemed that that was all the talking she was up to, he stood slowly to his feet and looked at her once more.

"Listen, Sakura… It may not mean anything to you at the moment. But, I wanted to say I really am sorry. I'm sorry for not listening to you, and for…hitting you." He said sincerely. He truly did feel bad. "They were my given orders." He finished. Surely she, a fellow shinobi, would understand his predicament.

Sakura peered over at him and just nodded.

With that, Kiba nodded in return and exited the room. He would have talked more, but it was clear she didn't want to.

Sakura let out a long sigh and tilted her head back as she leaned against the headrest of the hospital bed. She couldn't imagine Naruto coming in here and seeing her. Not that it was really a big deal. He had seen worse from her... She closed her eyes and bit her lip at the very thought of it.

She was actually proud of herself. She hadn't cried yet, and she didn't plan to either. No emotions. That's what she needed to do. Show no emotions.

Sakura lifted her head forward again and pulled her sheets down and took advantage of her time alone to examine herself once more. She couldn't believe how filthy her skin was. Seriously, it was disgusting. Sakura placed her fingers on the abused fabric that was her tank top and took hold of the bottom of it. There was a whole section missing from when it had been torn and she couldn't help but wonder what the man's intentions were for ripping a section off. Why would he need the little piece of clothing…?

Quickly shoving that thought away, she mindlessly then touched the thin straps, pulling at them ever so slightly to see just how stretched and worn they were. The top was so loose on her now and it was amazing her chest was even covered. She completely zoned as she stared at her body, now imaging the scene that caused the final result. The hands that tore her top, forced themselves upon her…

Flashback

-The sound of her shirt ripping echoed loudly throughout her ears and Sakura shuddered at the cool air that now tickled her now exposed stomach.

"Hot damn!" One of the men commented.

"Please…stop" She said quietly, looking only at the man above her and trying her best to ignore the other two. –

End Flashback

The door opened and she quickly jumped, grabbing at the sheets and urgently covering herself once more. Her eyes darted to the doorway and widened; she completely stilled when she saw him. He hadn't even fully entered the room and they already locked in on each other's gaze, both unmoving.

It was as though he was afraid of stepping into the room; almost like she was a disease or something. She felt like it anyway.

"Naruto…" She heard herself softly speak. His name was just a whisper from her lips.

He closed the door and walked in slowly, never taking his eyes off her.

Sakura's face reddened under his intense gaze, but she never stopped looking at him either. She was so happy to see him. So happy that he was okay and back to himself, not that frightening kyuubi.

Naruto approached the chair beside her and sat down carefully. That described him perfectly right now. All of his movements were…careful. Even the way he eased himself into the chair. It was as though if he sat down to quickly, the chair would break.

Sakura was the first to look away as she looked down at her lap, unable to continue their stare down. It was just too intense; too uncomfortable.

But still, neither of them said anything.

It had to of been a good two minutes of just sitting in silence. And that doesn't sound like much, but it felt like forever.

And of course, Sakura was the first to break that too.

"Can you please just say something?" She whispered.

"What is there to say?" He asked, equally quiet.

"Anything…"

"Anything."

Sakura frowned, not appreciating his sarcastic response.

Naruto sighed. He was thinking about how he was happy that she now had some sheets to cover herself with because to see her fully was just too much to take. Even what he saw now left him at a loss for words.

"Hmm, okay. How about something along the lines of how I fucked up and I allowed this to happen to you?" He asked, clearly restraining himself.

Sakura winced at his choice of words and looked up at him confused. "…what…?" She took notice of his expressionless face.

"..This!" He interrupted, gesturing to her form with an exaggerated flick of the wrist and causing her to flinch. He sounded angry and Sakura frowned. She was sensitive now to anyone raising their voices at her.

"It's not your fault-"

"Like hell it's not my fault!" He argued. "If I had gotten there sooner… then maybe…maybe this wouldn't have happened to you! I-"

Sakura recoiled. "-Naruto…stop it. You always put the blame on yourself!" She raised her voice; its hoarseness causing it to crack.

"But that's because it's almost always my fau-"

"-No. Ugh… you just don't get it, do you?" She said quietly, sounding frustrated with herself. That's because he was making her upset. Why did he always do this to himself? She laced her face into her hands and let out a frustrated sigh.

They were quiet again for a moment as Naruto waited for her to continue.

"Sakura?" He asked, leaning forward the slightest bit.

Sakura looked down at her fingers again and just shook her head, chewing anxiously on her lip. "Naruto… I don't understand why you always blame yourself. And it's almost always when it is out of your control."

She looked at him hesitantly now. "Sasuke, with his free will, left. But you blamed yourself. Completely beat yourself up. And you do that with everyone, Naruto. And now with me…"

Naruto could feel himself tense up, not liking where this was going, but let her continue.

"But…I used my free will too. It was my decision …to go with them." Her voice cracked again and she fumbled with her fingers continuously.

Naruto scowled as he recalled being informed of this by those bastards.

Sakura couldn't look at Naruto. She could sense his anger and she didn't want to see him like that. "I know you're probably mad or frustrated with me for it too, aren't you?" She asked quietly. So quietly that she'd be surprised if Naruto fully heard her.

When Naruto didn't answer, Sakura closed her eyes. She knew his silence meant 'yes.' "I just couldn't bear the thought of them doing that to Hinata. Even now I can't. I was almost grateful to be alone. It would have been ten times worse had I seen her go through the same treatment, or if I knew… she had to watch me." Her cheeks took on a very light shade of pink at the thought of it. That would have been terrible…

Naruto flinched at this too because he had seen her. Not Hinata-as she wished. But him; he had to watch. He wouldn't be telling her the effect that had on him. The images it burned into his brain. It made him so furious every time a memory resurfaced itself.

They both looked up then at the sound of knocking on her door.

"Sakura-chan…?" She heard a soft female voice as the door slowly opened. The girl gasped and raised her hand to her mouth, standing still.

Naruto sighed and stood up looking down at Sakura. "I'll leave you guys alone for now. I'll be back later." He said quietly.

Sakura looked up at him emotionless, but there was still a brief pleading look in her eye. She didn't want him to leave. Not yet.

But Naruto said nothing as he walked pass the shocked girl and out the door.

Sakura let out a long sigh and lay back again. "You can come in. You don't have to stand there." She said to the girl who was still by the door, unmoving.

With a small nod, she entered slowly and took a seat next to her where Naruto had just been.

"What's the matter, Hinata? You look as though you have seen a ghost." She forced a very small smile.

Hinata's eyes began to water as she got a closer look at her friend.

"Oh my gosh…Sakura… You-you look awful." She said with a shaky voice.

"Thanks." She replied, looking up towards the ceiling.

"No-I-I didn't mean-"

"I know, Hinata. Don't worry about it."

Hinata took in the sight of her. The IV, her attire, her face… "Sakura…" She said quietly, gaining her attention. She held back her tears when she saw her face fully; the dirt, the scrapes and bruises… all showing former struggles.

There was something about her that was different now though. Something in her eyes perhaps. Or maybe it was what wasn't in her eyes. She just seemed so disconnected. That was the best word she could think of right now.

"Wh-What did they do…to you…?" She asked so low it was hardly a whisper. But Sakura heard her just fine as she turned her head again to look straight.

Hinata swallowed the lump in her throat and tried her hardest to hold back any tears from falling. She figured she knew the answer, but she didn't want to believe it.

"Sakura, please…. Please tell me they didn't… that they didn't…" She bit her lip and gripped her knees. "Did…did th-they…rape you…?" She forced herself to finally ask.

Sakura peered at the girl out of the corners of her eyes and looked forward again. "More or less." She answered quietly.

A held back sob escaped her friend's throat along with her built up tears and she immediately covered her mouth with her hands.

Sakura didn't move at all as she listened to her friend crying beside her. She felt her heart ache the more she heard Hinata and frowned at the constricting feeling it caused in her chest. She recognized this as one of the first feelings before crying, and would not allow it.

"Stop it." She looked over at her. "Hinata, please stop." She said quietly, now gaining Hinata's attention.

Hinata pathetically wiped her tears from her face and mumbled a low form of apology; her body shaking as she held in any more cries. "Sakura…why? Why did you do it?" She asked.

"I don't know." Was her short reply.

"Don't tell me you don't know!" Hinata retaliated, much to Sakura's surprise. Hinata was not one to just snap like that.

"Don't… don't sit there and brush the subject off… You left me here feeling nothing but worry and…and guilt. Even more so now!" She choked. "It's just not right! I shouldn't have been spared…" She cried more. She couldn't help it.

Sakura breathed deeply through her nose, her chest tightening even more. "Don't even talk like that." She replied, a hint of anger beginning to show in her voice. "Don't say you shouldn't have been spared…"

"But, Sakura…"

"No… I did it so that you would be spared, Hinata. I could not just stand there and watch them do what they were doing to you. I couldn't stomach that. And then the more I thought about it later… the more I was grateful that you weren't there to watch me either." She spat.

Hinata bit her lip again.

"Besides…they weren't even after you."

Hinata's thin eyebrow pulled together in a frown at this. "What?"

"They were after me. They wanted Naruto and used me to lure him in. You just happened to be with me."

Hinata looked shocked. She had no idea what to say.

"Wrong place at the wrong time… and with the wrong person." She said sarcastically.

"Anyway… they didn't…get all the way. Naruto showed up and 'interrupted' them." Sakura sighed.

Hinata shook her head. "Is-is that why Naruto-kun seemed so angry?" She recalled, looking at the door as she remember his attitude when he walked by her.

"Yeah. Umm, they made him watch… as they continued." She said quietly, her cheeks taking on a pink color, and looked down.

Hinata looked at her quickly with wide eyes.

"He's pissed that I volunteered myself over and he thinks everything is his fault."

Their attention was stolen again when they heard another knock on the door.

"People need to stop doing that." Sakura said.

The door opened and in walked Tsunade.

"Hello, Hinata." She said kindly, knowing exactly what conversation she just interrupted.

"Hello, Tsunade-sama." She bowed her head timidly.

"I'm sorry to bother you two. But I'm afraid I need to ask to talk to Sakura alone." She smiled warmly.

Hinata nodded and stood. She looked at Sakura for a long moment before bending over and giving her a light hug. "Thank you, Sakura." She whispered before quickly exiting the room.

Tsunade watched as she left and closed the door behind her. Turning back around, she sighed and placed her chin into the palm of her hand as she looked Sakura over. "What do I do with you?" She asked, smiling faintly.

Sakura looked at her master questioningly. "What do you mean?"

Tsunade walked over, her heels clicking loudly against the hard flooring, and sat at the bottom of the bed. "I'm trying to decide if I can send you home yet." She said. "The Anbu decided that they don't need to further inspect you." She added, looking around. "But, you aren't even taking care of yourself here." She added, nodding her head towards the still full plate of food and glass of water.

Sakura looked next to her and frowned. "I don't want to stay here." She said, now looking at Tsunade again.

"But Sakura... chances are this is going to stick with you a while. We have counselors here…"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Yeah, have any one of them ever gone through what I just went through in the past 72 hours?"

"I'm…not..sure.."

"I doubt it." Sakura frowned.

"Sakura…"

"I don't want to stay here. I…I just want to go home. I want to go to my own house with my own room and shower…and wear something clean…and go in my own bed." Sakura gripped the sheets tighter once again, imagining the pure joy she would have once in her very own bed. She was sick of being under the control of someone. "I don't want to stay here." She looked away.

Tsunade felt heaviness in her heart and looked to the untouched food beside her student. The silence in the room was long and uncomfortable. "I will let you go home…" Sakura looked up, her eyes hopeful. "…but under one condition."

"What is it?" She asked; a hint of desperation in her voice, her eyes skeptical.

"Someone must go home with you and supervise you for the night." She said, her face showing no sign of compromise. "I need to be sure you are being taken care of."

Sakura looked at her questioningly. "And…that someone is…?" She asked suspiciously.

Tsunade stood up and folded her arms in front of her.

"Naruto."

Sakura's jaw nearly dropped. "B-but… Tsunade-"

"-no buts, Sakura. That is the only way I will allow it. You're decision. You guys seriously need to talk this out or something anyways." She said; her voice firm and final.

Sakura stared the beautiful blonde down for the longest moment, searching for her to waver, maybe a flicker of negotiation in her light brown eyes. When there was nothing, she deflated. "…Fine." She answered, looking down at her lap.

Tsunade nodded and walked to the other side of her bed before removing the IV. Filling out some papers and gathering some of the supplies, she patted her lightly on the back and walked towards the door again. "You are welcome to leave then. I'll notify security and I'll be sure to have Naruto waiting at the hospital entrance for you." She smiled. And with that, she left.

Sakura sat still for a long minute, trying to absorb what just happened. Did she understand what she was asking? She was asking her to let Naruto, a man, spend the night in her house. And he was mad at her! Every little part of this had 'awkward' written all over it!

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Well, that's it. I really apologize for taking so long to update! I've had so much going on. Barely any time to myself. I don't know if this probably isn't as long as other chapters, but I didn't want to leave you with nothing. I think this story is coming to a close. I have one more chapter for sure. Whether or not I go on further with it... I don't know yet. Are you guys really into this story? Do you want more out of it? I would really appreciate your reviews for the feedback! I need the encouragement! haha If you have an idea come to you as far as where I can take this story, then please messgae me and let me know! If I like it and/or it corresponds with any of my plans, then I will probably run with it. If I don't hear anything and and I feel as though it has been enough, then like I said, this story will be approaching its close. I hope to hear from you! :D


	7. Anything to Forget

Well, I appreciated the reviews so much that I was quick to update! Enjoy!

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Sighing loudly, Sakura swung her legs over the side of the hospital bed and slowly stood to her feet, legs wobbling the slightest bit as she did so. She groaned when she saw how exposed she was and fought back the wave of embarrassment and anxiety that tried to come in. She placed her hands once more on her forehead. She couldn't go out there. Not looking like this!

… But it was all she had.

Sakura carefully pulled at what was left of her torn tank top in hopes of covering her stomach, but that only served to further expose her chest. Frustrated, she pulled her top upwards again. She looked to her tray of food once more, along with the glass of water, and ignored it as she made her way towards the door.

It actually hurt a bit to walk and she was quite clumsy when she tried. Sakura made her way down the familiar hallways, ignoring the stares from the other nurses and medics, and approached the main entrance lobby.

As promised, Naruto awaited her by the doors and she quickly threw her arms up to cover her chest when his eyes fell on her; her cheeks pink.

She watched as he made eye contact with Tsunade from one of the hallways and noticed their exchange of looks before turning towards her again and escorting her out the door.

The minute Sakura stepped outside she immediately scrunched her eyes into a tight wince, not at all used to the brightness from the sun. It was amazing to her. It was amazing what you could come to appreciate in just approximately 72 hrs.

She took in a deep breath and sighed in relief as the clean crisp air traveled into her lungs. It was of course so much better than the moist thickness she had become so accustomed to. She almost felt the tiniest smidgen of happiness, until she looked to Naruto. He had that same expression. That same stiffness to him and that same reserved face. She could see anger and irritation in his eyes and she hated it. Hugging her arms tighter to her chest, Sakura continued to walk forward, passing by him in hopes of escaping his smoldering gaze.

Neither of them talked the whole way and she felt a sense of relief take over her the minute she saw her house. She let one of her arms fall from her chest and she quickened her pace, tripping slightly when doing so, and hurried to her front door. She brushed her hand along the wooden exterior lightly and reached for the cold doorknob to open it, frowning when it wouldn't budge. Damn! She had locked it! She continuously shook the knob in response to her frustration and stopped when she heard a sigh from over her shoulder.

Naruto held her key in front of her face and she timidly took it from him before unlocking the door and opening it.

Sakura flicked the light on quickly and took little to no time as she rushed right to her bedroom. She began to just raid her dresser and closet. She quickly grabbed the comfiest things she could find and held them close to her. She could cry from relief.

Her clothes! Her clean house! She never loved her house so much before.

"What are you doing?" Naruto asked quietly, propped up against the frame of her doorway.

She jumped again and looked up at him, slightly startled. She almost forgot he was there.

Almost.

"I'm getting ready to take a shower." She answered, looking back down now at one of her dresser drawers.

"No." He said, lifting himself from off the door frame and stepping in slightly.

"Eh-excuse me?" She asked, not knowing how to respond. His demeanor almost freaked her out a little.

Naruto saw the look she was giving him and quickly threw his hands up, defending his words.

"Sorry. I didn't mean it in a bad way. Uh, I meant like, no…no shower right now. I need to make sure you eat something first." He corrected.

She set her clothing down and relaxed a bit.

"Oh. Well, I'm not hungry." She argued.

Naruto sighed tiredly. "Sakura, please. I was instructed to make sure you fed yourself before anything else."

She could see the seriousness in his face and tried to understand that Tsunade ordered this of him.

"Fine." She pouted and stood up, walking past him and making her way to the kitchen.

Sakura opened her refrigerator and saw a small fruit salad she had purchased just a few days ago. Flipping the plastic container around, she checked the date and saw that it was still good. She took it out and lazily walked over to a drawer, grabbing a fork and closing it again with a swing of her hip, and had a seat at her table.

Naruto searched through a few cupboards until he found all the glasses and grabbed a tall one. He then moved to the sink and filled it with water, turning his head to watch as she slowly took bites of the mixed fruit. When the glass was full he shut the faucet off and walked towards Sakura, placing the glass in front of her on the table and receiving a confused look.

"You need to drink that, too." He said as he pulled out seat out and joined her.

Sakura rolled her eyes and continued to make progress as she ate her food, occasionally taking sips of the water and giving Naruto a sarcastic smile of sorts as she did so. And of course, it was another several minutes of silence. She went to take another bite but stopped as it neared her mouth.

"What's wrong?" Naruto asked, confused as to why she suddenly stopped eating her fruit.

"I- I don't…" She dropped her fork and quickly stood up, tossing the chair behind her, and ran towards her bathroom.

Naruto quickly stood up and followed after her, stopping once again in the doorway when he saw Sakura hunched over the toilet emptying her stomach.

He frowned and grabbed one of her hand towels from off the rack and knelt down beside her, holding her hair back to prevent any of it from falling in her face.

Sakura had gone days without eating and her stomach was now rejecting any food she put into it.

She coughed up any remainder she could before accepting the hand towel Naruto had provided at the ready.

She held it over her mouth and breathed in through it, calming herself down and dabbing her mouth with it.

"You okay?" He asked as he helped her to her feet.

Receiving a small nod, he started to guide her out of the bathroom until she stopped dead in her tracks, bringing him to a halt when she caught a quick glimpse of herself in the mirror.

Sakura was unable to even move at first, but she quickly stepped in front of the reflecting glass, gripping the edges of the sink tightly. She could not believe what she was seeing. She didn't even look like herself! Her mouth parted and tried to say something, but she just couldn't. Sakura knew she was dirty, but not this dirty…

Her face was caked on with dirt, her hair was one big ratty mess, and there were little scrapes all over. Of course she didn't miss the big bruised ring on her temple either. She lifted her fingers to brush over her somewhat swollen and bruised lips, and fought back the threatening tears when she did so.

Naruto watched as she quickly exited the bathroom, stepping out of the way so she didn't run him over, and gathered up her clothes once more from her dresser.

"Sakura you didn't finish-"

"-I need a shower." She interrupted, not at all willing to negotiate.

"I'll be out there if you need anything." He said before exiting her bedroom.

Sakura took a couple deep breaths and walked back into her bathroom again; closing the door and locking it. Without wasting any time, she practically ripped her current clothes off of her and threw them into a corner. Standing in the nude, she was no longer proud of her body. All confidence had left her and now she felt vulnerable and disgusting in her own skin. She covered her chest once again with her arms and pulled open the shower curtain, turning on the water to as hot as it would allow. It took very little time for her bathroom to fill up with steam, and when it had she knew she could get in.

Sakura let the piping hot water cover her skin all at once and let a small yelp escape from her mouth, quickly muffling it with her hands. She suppressed any further sounds that threatened to come out as her body screamed from the heat. But she didn't care.

She first squirted some of her favorite scented shampoo into her hands and relished in the wonderful smell before applying it to her hair. She began to massage it into her scalp and hissed at the sudden wave of pain. It was still very tender from all the abuse and the hot water didn't help matters either. But she proceeded to clean all of the dirt and grime she could before rinsing it out.

Sakura then applied its matching conditioner and let it set in her hair as she prepared her soap and washcloth. She looked down at her body again with hatred before attacking it with the soap. It was unbelievable how many scrapes and cuts she found due to the soap's sting. And after she lathered herself up in it, she began to claw and scrape at her skin with her nails, scrubbing away everything.

She paid extra special attention to her stomach and chest, rubbing the surface raw. And her mouth… she must have spent several minutes scrubbing at it too, even spitting once in a while as some soap got into her mouth. It felt like she couldn't get it off though… couldn't get them off! Every area of her body she focused on she could remember each action of theirs, and she just couldn't wash that away.

Naruto was beginning to get concerned with the amount of time Sakura had spent in the shower and wasn't sure if he should check on her or not. Deciding he should, he rose to his feet and walked into her bedroom before knocking on her bathroom door.

"Sakura… is everything alright?"

No response.

"Sakura?" He called again, pounding on her door.

Nothing.

Dammit. He went to turn the doorknob and cursed when he found it was locked. He heard the shower shut off though and let out a sigh of relief before exiting the room once again. He wasn't trying to over exaggerate. But he was worried about Sakura. She wasn't being rational.

Sakura stared at the door for a long moment before stepping out of the shower carefully, grabbing her towel and wrapping herself tightly in it. She looked at herself again in the mirror and frowned. She'd heal herself tomorrow when she had the strength and chakra. It was nice to have the dirt off of her though. She slipped into a pair of her favorite panties and her matching bra, and pulled on an oversized black t-shirt. She felt incredibly comfortable now, and it felt absolutely amazing. She then brushed her hair and teeth, and opened her door, allowing a curtain of steam to poor out.

"Naruto…" she called out, biting her nail nervously as she waited for him.

"Coming." She heard in the distance and took a deep breath before quickly running her fingers once more through her hair. She had done some thinking in the time that she was in the shower…

"Yeah?" He asked, now in her doorway. He noticed her attire and suddenly became uncomfortable. He felt as though it was inappropriate to see her dressed like this.

Too much thinking…

Sakura swallowed hard and slowly walked up to him, leaving only inches between them. She raised a slightly shaky hand and gripped the neckline of his shirt before tugging gently to make him walk towards her.

Naruto hesitantly complied and followed her as she sat at the edge of her bed, pulling him down with her.

"What is it?" He asked, sitting beside her stiffly.

Sakura bit her lip and pivoted her body as she placed her hands on both sides of his neck, leaning in quickly and pressing her mouth to his.

Naruto's eyes widened and his cheeks took on a light shade of pink.

"Sakura wh-" he was cut off when Sakura began moving her mouth against his own, effectively silencing him.

He didn't know what to do! It all happened so fast! Something deep inside told him that this was wrong; very wrong. But, this was Sakura we were talking about. His childhood crush. His love. He had spent years doing everything her could for her. Everything he could for her to accept him. And so now here she was, kissing him! How could he protest?

He had never kissed a girl before, and so he tried to follow her lead, moving his mouth in timing with her own.

Sakura gave him time to get a feel for it before gliding her tongue across his lower lip, earning what sounded to her like a small sound of surprise, and inserting it upon permission.

She tilted her head a bit in attempt to deepen the kiss, and lead the two of them to movebackwards, allowing more comfort.

Sakura pulled away only to press her hands into his broad chest, pushing on him just hard enough to signal for him to lie back, and he did.

Naruto let his head fall back onto her pillows and he searched to look her in the eyes. But she quickly avoided it when she climbed on top of him and straddled his hips.

He began to notice an increase in his breathing and a heat in his body as a result of their new position. Before he could even dwell on this any longer, Sakura was kissing him again, roughly.

She began to kiss the corners of his mouth before making her way along his jaw line and up to the space just below his earlobe, to which she allowed her tongue to lick and suck gently on, earning a low groan from the blond.

Sakura felt a new sense of power and relished in it, allowing her hot breath to cover his ear and causing his body to shiver. She continued to kiss her way down his neck, stopping here and there to give a quick lick or nip, and to his color bone. She then sat up and pulled her shirt from over her head, leaving her in just her undergarments.

Naruto's eyes nearly popped out of his head. He must have been dreaming. Never before had he seen something so beautiful. He never would have imagined this, her like this. With him. He didn't realize it, but all he could do was stare, and he couldn't bring himself to look away.

Sakura leaned forward, enticingly forward, just the tiniest bit and grabbed each of his hands before placing them onto her breasts, covering them with her own to hold them there.

Naruto's mouth parted and he blinked. Again, he didn't know what to do. Well, he did know, but it didn't seem right. He was still in shock. He looked up to search her eyes again, but she closed them the moment he did and tilted her head back ever so slightly.

He gave her mounds an experimental squeeze and shuddered at the soft moan that came from Sakura. She bent down again and once more started to kiss him. Her kisses were urgent and addictive. He gave her breast another squeeze and relished in the feeling her moan caused against his mouth.

Everything came to an unexpected stop though when he felt her free hand travel down his body and suddenly rub up against his inner thigh, earning a cry of surprise and pleasure. Realization crashed into him fully and he quickly grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her back, equally surprising Sakura.

"Sakura! What the hell!" He cried, unsure of what just happened.

"Naruto, don't…" She protested before kissing him again, a small hint of desperation in her voice, only to be forced off of him. Naruto quickly slid himself from underneath her and immediately got to his feet, leaving Sakura hurt and confused. She turned to face him and saw his angry expression as he looked upon her.

He quickly left the room to allow himself to calm down and figure out what the hell just happened.

Meanwhile, Sakura remained unmoving. Her mouth was left open and she hardly blinked. When she finally came to, she licked her lips and closed her mouth before her body kind of just… slumped over. Her chest was tight, her face was hot, and her throat felt constricted… which all meant one thing. And this time, she didn't hold it back. She gave in as she finally allowed herself to cry;

And to really, earnestly cry.

She let her body fall back onto her bed and she buried her face into her pillow, letting out painful sobs.

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Well, again- perhaps not the longest. But I can update a bit faster this way. I don't know that I will always be this fast, but who knows? Your reviews may very well encourage me :D So I will say this, if I get 5 reviews, I will update soon :) Fair? Feel free to leave more than 5! But we will start with that~ Thanks so much everyone!

Aaand some possible fluff next chappy!


	8. You Need to Talk

Well, as promised! Another chapter!

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_RECAP:_

_"Naruto, don't…" She protested before kissing him again, a small hint of desperation in her voice, only to be forced off of him. Naruto quickly slid himself from underneath her and immediately got to his feet, leaving Sakura hurt and confused. She turned to face him and saw his angry expression as he looked upon her._

_He quickly left the room to allow himself to calm down and figure out what the hell just happened._

_Meanwhile, Sakura remained unmoving. Her mouth was left open and she hardly blinked. When she finally came to, she licked her lips and closed her mouth before her body kind of just… slumped over. Her chest was tight, her face was hot, and her throat felt constricted… which all meant one thing. And this time, she didn't hold it back. She gave in as she finally allowed herself to cry;_

_And to really, earnestly cry. _

_She let her body fall back onto her bed and she buried her face into her pillow, letting out painful sobs._

Naruto had made his way back into Sakura's living room where he reacquainted himself with her couch. He dropped down on it and immediately bent forward, resting his head in his hands out of frustration.

He was stunned. What just happened back there? That was what was running through his head at the moment.

He was trying to calm down from the effects she had on his body. He couldn't believe he walked out on her! There she was, willing to be with him.

He could hear Sakura's loud cries from her room, muffled by the wall barrier, and his heart ached. Badly. Very, very badly. He felt like the biggest piece of scum in existence right now. And as badly as he wanted to run in there and make her feel better… he just couldn't. He could not bring himself to enter that room right now.

He loved Sakura dearly; unconditionally loved her. And he always has loved her since they were little kids. She was a major source of motivation for him. And many things he did-he did to impress her. He wanted nothing more than for her to acknowledge him; to understand his love for her and for it to be reciprocated.

All the years of intense training… All the blood, sweat and tears. A good source of it was for her. There were the other obvious reasons too. He wanted to be a strong shinobi. The future hokage! He needed to be strong for that. But often, it was her that also pushed him on. She supported him too. She'd heal him when he screwed up; encouraged him in the midst of battle…

And just a few moments ago, it seemed like that was what she was doing. That beautiful woman… she had made the first move. She had kissed him! Something he so often longed to do when he'd stare at her. And she even started to take it further than that.

What more could he ask for?

But it was exactly that forwardness that had set the alarms off in his head. He knew Sakura better than anyone. She never threw herself at guys like that. He concluded that she was seriously wrong in the head right now. Not challenged or stupid. But she was definitely not thinking straight. And he knew he needed to talk to her.

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. She was still crying. He wouldn't go in there during that. There would be no point to it.

He knew she was mad at him.

Slowly standing to his feet, Naruto leisurely made his way into her kitchen and helped himself to a glass of water.

Where would they go from here? Would things be even more awkward now? It would kill him if he lost her friendship over this. It was all he had. Without a friendship, he could never hope for anything greater with her.

He stood there for the longest time by the kitchen sink, sorting thoughts out in his head as he gazed out the small window, thinking of what to say and how to address her.

Until he realized it had gotten quiet in the house again. He then remained still as he listened for her, looking over his shoulder in the direction of her room. When it seemed to him that her cries had stopped, he let out one long, tired sigh, and made his way towards her room once more, setting down the glass timidly.

He definitely took his time walking, his heart practically thumping out of his chest.

Entering her doorway, Naruto took one last deep breath and looked towards her bed. He dreaded this moment but knew it would eventually have to come. Tsunade had briefly talked with him prior to this and mentioned to him that they should really talk about the mission. She told him it would be uncomfortable, but very necessary. And he was starting to see why.

Slowly, he approached her bed and sunk down onto the end of it carefully, setting himself somewhat close to her feet.

He remained silent for a long moment as he tried to conjure up what to say, all prior thoughts evading him. When no words came, he just leaned his hand forward and placed it very lightly onto Sakura's bare shoulder.

He flinched though when she instantly rejected him. She didn't jump from being startled like he had predicted. No. She completely shied away from him. And this sent a small smidgen of pain in his chest. He never dealt well with rejection.

"Sakura…"

Nothing.

"Sakura… I'm…I'm sorry,"

He thought he heard a muffled snicker, but he chalked it off.

After several uncomfortably long minutes of silence, Sakura finally spoke up.

"Go away." She mumbled in her pillow.

Another wave of pain.

"No," He answered equally as quiet, standing his ground.

He saw her arm tense, but remained unmoving.

"Sakura…we really need to talk."

And once again, no response.

"Please, Sakura…look at me…"

He needed to look at her. He wasn't unaware of the fact that just prior to all of this when she was advancing herself on him, that she never once looked him the eye. She seemed to avoid eye contact, and he hated it.

But she remained unmoving once more.

"Sakura…" but he was cut off when she finally sat up to look at him. And the moment she did, all words left him has his heart became 10 times heavier.

She had never stopped crying. Even in the dark room he could see that. Her eyes were puffy and moist, and so were her cheeks and lips.

Naruto couldn't bring himself to look away. He figured it was rude, but he was transfixed by her.

"What?" She asked in just a quiet whisper.

Naruto took another deep breath and shifted towards her, hoping to really convey the seriousness of this.

"I want you to talk to me. I want you to tell me what you are thinking, how you are feeling…" He answered, looking at her eyes.

Those big, beautifully jade eyes. Their color seemed to enhance due to the bloodshot redness of them. But they were still just as lovely.

Sakura held her eye contact with him, but looked down at the mattress as she began to think. She really didn't want to talk about this right now. Not at all. If anything, she wished nothing more than to suppress all recollection of that mission somewhere deep down in her mind.

"I…can't." She said, staring blankly at that invisible spot in the mattress.

"Yes you-"

"No! I can't, Naruto!" Sakura interrupted, tears continuously streaming down her face.

Embarrassed, Sakura hid her face in her hands. She hated crying in front of people. Especially Naruto! She hated that he saw her at her weakest.

Naruto frowned at her for a long moment. She wouldn't talk. And it wasn't as though he could just force her to talk. He'd have to pry it out of her.

He had an idea, and only hoped she wouldn't resist too much.

Slowly sliding off the bed, he carefully grabbed her wrist and pulled forward the slightest bit.

"What are you doing?" Sakura asked a bit loudly, clearly confused.

"Shh. Please just get up." He requested his face somewhat serious.

Wiping her face, Sakura cautiously complied and crawled lazily off the bed, standing awkwardly before him.

Naruto looked at her again and smiled the tiniest bit. Possibly the only smile he had given her the entire time she had been with him.

"And, please put some pants on." He chuckled quietly.

Blushing, Sakura frowned and went to her dresser mumbling something about "not seeing what was funny" and, "not sure what the heck he was up to".

She pulled out a pair of sweats and quickly slid them on before looking at him again.

Naruto only left the room, saying nothing, and leading her to her front door.

Alarmed, Sakura stopped in place and stared at him.

"What are you doing, Naruto?" She asked; her tone serious.

"Do you trust me, Sakura?" He turned halfway, door already open.

Silent for a moment, Sakura nodded.

"Of course,"

"Then please just follow me." He replied, holding his arm out.

Sakura slowly walked out the door, looking back when Naruto closed it, and began to walk along beside him.

Neither of them said anything after that. It was just a quiet walk. Both of them seemed to be consumed with their own thoughts.

She really hated this awkwardness though. Before this mission, they always talked! They got a long just fine. Laughed, joked, playfully insulted. But now, now they barely said a word to each other.

That entire mission and all that came with it was just the elephant in the room. He was so careful around her. But she didn't want that! She didn't want him to treat her any differently. She was still Sakura.

Powerful, short-tempered Sakura.

She peered at him out of the corner of her eyes and noticed the concentrated look on his face. She had no idea what he was planning, but she was quiet honestly a little bit nervous. Naruto was random. Who knows what he had up his sleeve.

She sighed and looked up at the sky. It was late afternoon and the sun was completely hidden by the massive gray clouds that filled the sky, threatening them with rain.

The temptation to ask what he was doing was great, but she reminded herself of his words.

'Trust him…' She thought.

Naruto on the other hand was watching her every once in a while as well. He was not sure how she would respond to his idea; he just hoped she'd go along with it.

And even if she didn't at first, he knew how to make her eventually. He really didn't want to resort to that though.

He was nervous. This wouldn't be much fun for either of them, really.

Sakura started to notice less and less buildings as the progressed on their walk. It was slowly becoming more wooded and less populated, and this made her feel very uneasy.

She figured Naruto noticed this because she suddenly felt his hand on her shoulder, which she flinched at.

"Just trust me." He said, his features calm.

She looked forward once more and allowed herself to calm down a bit. This was Naruto for crying out loud. He would never hurt her. Everything he did was out of best interest for her and she knew that.

They finally approached a field of sorts when Naruto looked at her. He made his way towards the center, but Sakura stopped once again.

A field?

She was totally confused now, and highly suspicious.

" Come on, Sakura." He called to her.

"For what?" She questioned back, looking around at the surrounding nature.

"Just please come here." He answered.

She remained unmoving for a minute, but finally gave in. She approached him cautiously and just stood before him with a confused expression. They stared at each other, Sakura eager with anticipation. She was ready to hear it. What the heck was his big idea?

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Thank you, guys for your reviews! I asked for at least 5, and you gave me 7 :D I was so happy, I decided to post this early. I already have some of the next chapter typed out. It was originally going to be part of this one, but I decided to leave you guys hanging 3 haha Hence, why this one is so short. But hey, it's still a chapter isn't it? So, I will require this again. Another minimum of 5 reviews for an update! They really do make me want to upload to you guys faster. What do you think is going to happen? What is Naruto's plaaaan? huh huh? Lets see of you guess correctly. I'll be impressed. Let me know if you like where this is going. You get the idea. Hope to see your lovely reviews soon!

Have a blessed Easter everyone!


	9. Fight Me!

I LOVE YOU ALLL! Wowz.. I feel bad for even taking this long to update! I asked for a minimum of 5 reviews.. I got..11 I think it was :* You all rock! This is another short-ish chapter. Some of you guessed kind of right! Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Naruto stared at Sakura intently, his eyes not once leaving hers. It was a deep stare; one that made Sakura concerned.

She watched him with almost equal intensity, bracing herself for what he was going to say. The suspense almost seemed to heighten as the wind began to pick up, blowing her pink tresses more wildly.

"Hit me." He said in a low voice.

Sakura frowned and stared back at him. His face was so stern; so serious.

"What?" She asked in an equally low tone.

"You heard me,"

Sakura raised a thin eyebrow at him.

" Ha. Yeah right, Naruto…Very funny. So why are we really here?" She folded her arms across her chest, not at all amused by his little joke.

Naruto never waved though. He just stood there, burning her with his gaze. He was being absolutely serious about this.

Sakura's eyebrows pulled together and she looked around. The clouds had taken on an almost black color and therefore darkened the sky even more.

"Listen, we should probably just head back. I appreciated the stroll and everything, and it was nice to get out, but it's looking like its going rain here any minute now." She said as she stared up at the sky.

Naruto slowly approached her so that he was standing merely inches from her and gave her a small shove, causing her to stumble backwards ever so slightly.

"… What the… Naruto, cut it out." She said, anger beginning to creep into her voice. She was not amused at all.

"Then hit me." He argued.

"No."

"Hit me."

"No!"

And just like that, they were once again staring each other down.

"Sakura, you need to let out what you are feeling! Keeping it in is not healthy!" He gave her a small push again, hoping to provoke her.

"Knock it off!" She ordered, meeting his never-ending gaze. He was really being serious!

"Naruto, you can't really expect me to hit you. Don't be so irrational. Come on, let's just go back," She said, reaching out to grab his hand, which Naruto pulled away.

Sakura stood still for a moment, scowling as she stared at her own hand that was left hanging in the air.

"Fine! I'll just go back by myself then." She said, now sounding more upset.

She had walked all this way, leaving the comfort of her own home, just to be taken to a field and have her best friend in the entire world ask her to beat him up. Sure, she had hit him countless times in the past, but that was because he had said or did something stupid. But to just hit him without cause… that was a joke.

Naruto closed his eyes for a moment and let out a sigh of frustration. He didn't want to have to resort to this… But she left him no other option. With a few hand signs and a puff of smoke Naruto transformed into the very man who had taken her away only days ago. He was an exact replica; down to every little detail. He could remember very well what he looked like because he had spent plenty of time staring at him in hatred as he touched Sakura before. He walked forward quickly and gave Sakura a push in her back; one that was more forceful than it was previously.

Irritated, Sakura swung around to yell at him but stopped before a single word came out. All words and thoughts left her at the sight before her and she stood frozen in place. No way, it couldn't be! Her eyes began to become moist and she clenched her fists.

"Naruto, this isn't funny!" She said; her voice cracking. She could start feel the rain as a few drops began to hit her skin.

The man before her remained unmoving at first and just stared her down. Or, Naruto that is. But she couldn't think of him as Naruto in that state. All she saw was her worse nightmare.

He started to walk towards her again, and if freaked her out big time. Pivoting quickly on her heels, Sakura took off in attempt to get away from him, only to feel his large hand grab her wrist and pull her backwards roughly; earning a brief shriek from Sakura.

She instinctively swung around and aimed her free hand in a fistful throw right towards his face, but stopped just inches before. She still could not bring herself to punch him. But she couldn't look at him directly though either.

Naruto frowned as he first stared at the clenched fist directly in front of his eyes, and then towards Sakura's face which was facing the ground. So she still wouldn't fight? Even seeing him like this? As much as he really hated to do this, it looked as though he'd have to take it up a notch…

He grabbed Sakura's wrist again and looked into Sakura's now wide eyes before moving her arm out of the way and delivering a painful blow to her chest, forcing her to fall backwards and causing the wind to be knocked out of her.

Sakura flew back and fell onto her back with a cry, skidding across the dirt ground in the process. She looked up at the sky, wincing as the rain pelted against her face. She was gasping a bit as she tried to take deep breaths, grabbing at the front of her shirt.

He really just hit her! And not just the little shoves he'd been giving her. He legit hit her and caused her pain. But… but she couldn't fight him! Could she? It was Naruto…right? She remained unmoving for a long time. That is, until he approached her again and towered above her.

She peered up at him through wet lashes as she continued to regain her breath.

"Is that all you got?" Asked the man above her.

"…What?" She asked, slightly taken aback by his condescending tone.

"Wow…you have gotten weak!" he looked at her as though she was the most worthless thing he's had ever set eyes on.

"Naruto… that's not-"

"-Naruto?"

"….Yes.."

"Would Naruto hit you, my dear Sakura?"

"I… no he wouldn't… but…"

"But what? Naruto would either hit you or he wouldn't. There is no gray area."

Sakura didn't know what to say… No, Naruto was not one to hit her… but, this was Naruto! Naruto was the one that brought her here!

….but this man… it looked so much like him… and he acted so much like him…

She started to sit up, but was pushed right back down again.

"Naruto! Stop it!" She yelled up at him, but froze when he quickly came down to her level.

He quickly got to his knees and straddled over her, placing his hands on either side of her head and his face just inches above her own.

Sakura pushed herself into the now muddy ground as best she could as she looked up at him in absolute fear. This was all so convincing, and very much like how it was before. And it was not okay.

"Naruto… please stop this… it's not funny…"

The man gripped her throat and growled.

"I suggest you stop calling me Naruto…" he warned.

Sakura placed her hands on the one choking her and tried to pry it from her throat. But she wasn't using all her strength to do so. No nails or anything…

"Now tell me dear Sa-ku-raaa. Did you enjoy the time we spent together?" He smirked evilly.

"Wh-what?"

"Don't 'what' me, my dear. You know very well what I mean." He smiled as he began to rub his free hand up along her thigh.

Sakura's eyes widened and tried to move her leg away from him, earning a small chuckle.

"What? Does that mean it's a no? You didn't enjoy our time together?"

Sakura looked up into his dark eyes for a long moment, searching. This wasn't right. He was acting way too much like him… there was no innocence there. The way he was speaking to her…touching her… it was so similar… and she was actually beginning to think that this really wasn't Naruto. It couldn't be him! Naruto would never…could never act in such a way! She was pretty sure she was losing her mind… That would be the only thing that made sense.

She turned her head to break eye contact. So what had happened? Did… did Naruto not beat him after all? And did this man transform himself to look like Naruto? All to trick her and lead her out here where he could finally have her alone and to himself! She knew it! She knew he'd come back for her!

Sakura held back a sob on her throat. It wasn't fair…

"Helloo. Sakura." He said, trying to get her attention. He could tell that she was having a conversation with herself. It was clear she was lost in thought.

"Tell me then, Sakura. What did I do that you hated the most?" He whispered in her ear before kissing her jaw.

Sakura swallowed but did not answer. Why would she tell him?

He intensified his grip on her throat and turned her head to face him again. He lowered his face down to hers and placed his lips just barely over her own in the lightest of touches, causing her to tense immediately and her eyes to widen.

"Was it this then?" He asked before kissing her roughly.

And that was all it took. Sakura began to claw at his hand and thrash beneath him.

He held her down as he moved his mouth against hers and began to slide his hand up under her shirt.

Crying out, Sakura gathered a small amount of chakra into her hand and punched him in the side if his face, causing him to release her.

She began to use all the strength in her arms to slide herself backwards and away from him. She kicked him back with her foot and caused him to fall back. Quickly she turned her body around and crawled frantically away, crying again when she felt his hand on her ankle and suddenly was overwhelmed with hate and anger.

She was sick of fighting this man. She knew if she didn't take care of him now, he'd take her away again. And that would be the end for her.

There was no way she'd be found like before. She had gotten lucky then… She had to end it now…

The man pulled her back towards him in one smooth movement and she turned her body before lunging forward at him, successfully pushing him to the ground.

"What the fuck!" He yelled as he tried to throw the girl off of him.

She began to punch him repeatedly in the head and chest as she began to yell profanities at him.

"You sick fuck! Do you have any idea what kind of pain you caused me?"

*punch*

"You think nothing of going around and taking young girls from their homes!"

*punch*

"Raping them and treating them like some kind of pet or sex slave! There for whenever you want them!"

*punch*

She then got down directly in his face, her eyes full of so much rage.

"Do you know what you took from me? What you made my life to be? You ruined my relationships with my friends and my sensei… Do you have any idea how awkward it is now? Everyone looks at me through eyes of pity!"

*punch*

"And my innocence! I can't get images of you out of my head! Not to mention I can't even look at myself…at my body without wanting to throw up!"

*punch*

"And most of all…"

She grabbed his throat now in a strong hold.

"You ruined my relationship with Naruto…and you stole my first kiss! I am a piece of shit next to him! Filthy and unclean! I… I…."

She let out a yell of frustration and delivered one last blow to the head, knocking him unconscious.

The thunder crackled loudly as she just sat on him, unmoving as the rain poured itself mercilessly upon her. She stared into the face of the man beneath her and gasped when he became a huge puff of smoke. Beneath her now was an unconscious Naruto…

For the second time she felt as though the wind had been knocked out of her. She… she just beat up Naruto. She knew the fight was too easy! He went down to easily!

She quickly got off of him and to her feet; standing over him.

Below her now, on the ground, she observed Naruto and all the bruises already forming because of her. His head was bleeding a bit too…

Her eyes welt up and she just began to cry. Part of her definitely felt relieved. Naruto's plan worked… To punch who she thought was that man was very therapeutic… and she felt lighter. There was a heaviness that was lifted.

But now she felt really bad for what she did to Naruto. She couldn't help it! Yes, it was his idea and he made this happen… but it didn't mean she didn't feel like crap for doing it. She sent her chakra flowing throughout her body, increasing her strength, and approached Naruto.

She carefully sat his limp form up and somehow managed to get him onto her back, holding him securely, and walking back to her house…

* * *

Well... I this may or may not have been a great chapter. I know I have had better. Hopefully this isn't too crappy. I kept it brief on purpose. :/ So, I say again, minimum of 5 reviews and I will update faster! Also, if you feel like adding more to a review... what is your favorite chapter so far and why do you like it so much? I'm really curious!


	10. Healing

Well, I said a minimum of 5 reviews, and I got 4 :/ Now, granted it's only been a few days… and the chapter was short so there wasn't much to comment on, so I let it slide this time xD I already had this chapter ready, but I was waiting for the 5th review. I was gonna make it go on longer… but I got impatient myself haha

I do thank everyone who has been reviewing and supporting me. And to those who liked this story enough to add it to their favorites! Love you all :*

So I bring you chapter 10- Healing

* * *

Recap:

_Below her now, on the ground, she observed Naruto and all the bruises already forming because of her. His head was bleeding a bit too…_

_Her eyes welt up and she just began to cry. Part of her definitely felt relieved. Naruto's plan worked… To punch who she thought was that man was very therapeutic… and she felt lighter. There was a heaviness that was lifted._

_But now she felt really bad for what she did to Naruto. She couldn't help it! Yes, it was his idea and he made this happen… but it didn't mean she didn't feel like crap for doing it. She sent her chakra flowing throughout her body, increasing her strength, and approached Naruto._

_She carefully sat his limp form up and somehow managed to get him onto her back, holding him securely, and walking back to her house…_

* * *

The thunder continued on with its loud crackles and the rain never let up as Sakura slowly made her way back to her house; still carrying Naruto on her back.

'Damn… what the hell does he eat?' She asked herself. Sure, she was able to increase her strength with her chakra. But she couldn't use it all if she planned on getting home.

He was still heavy and she was beginning to feel it in her spine and legs. Fortunately she had entered the village now and was almost home! She was grateful nobody was outside or else she knew she'd be on the receiving end of some questioning stares.

Her time walking got her to think about all that had just transpired. She could not believe Naruto did that… He brought her all the way out to some field so that she could beat him up? Just to make her feel better! Part of her wanted to now question her character. What kind of friend was she to beat him so harshly? She… she just couldn't believe that she did that!

**'He wanted you to do it…'** stated her inner.

'But that doesn't make it any less wrong!' She argued back.

**'But look who he transformed himself into? He transformed into that bastard! Don't lie and say that you didn't take pleasure in finally punching his wretched face! Sick fuck deserved that and more!'**

Sakura winced at her language. That was another nice little gift she had acquired from those men. Her mouth… Yes she swore before all this, but not so frequently.

All thoughts came to halt when she finally arrived at her house. She quickly trotted to her doorstep and opened her door. The sky had grown dark and so now was her house. She couldn't see a thing.

She felt around for the light switch and turned it on once she found it. She closed the door and went straight to her room; bringing Naruto to her bed and carefully laying him down onto it.

It didn't matter to her that he was soaking wet from the rain. Or that his clothes were filthy from rolling around in the mud…

She turned on her lamp and sighed from the warm glow that it gave off. It wasn't incredibly bright and it had dimness to it that she personally found to be relaxing.

Sakura stood still for a couple minutes, just staring at him. He looked so peaceful… Well, minus the blood and bruises that marked his skin. Sighing, she turned to her dresser and once again found herself some clean clothes. Yes, a pair of her shorts and tank top would do just fine.

Gathering the clothes into her arm, she stood and quietly walked into her bathroom; closing the door softly behind her as she did so.

And once again, for the second time that night, she took a hot shower. The water didn't sting her skin so much this time but actually served to relax her a bit. She could feel the pressure in her lower back and shoulders from the long walk home and the water helped to ease it slightly.

She spent about fifteen minutes in there, being sure to rinse off all of the mud that had coated her skin and cleaning her hair with one of her favorite citrus shampoos. She didn't want to spend too long in there this time around… there was company after all…

Finishing, she quickly hopped out of the shower and dried herself off before slipping into her shorts and tank top. It was so comfortable!

Sakura quickly combed through her damp hair and teased it with her fingers. She brushed her teeth added her dirty clothes to her previous pile in the corner. She'd take care of it later.

Opening the door, she quickly turned off the light and gasped when she saw Naruto leaning against a nearby wall.

"Oh! Naruto! You scared me." She laughed as she placed a hand on her chest, earning a small smile from him.

"What uh… what are you standing there for?" She asked.

"Didn't want to further dirty your bed" He answered, to which Sakura looked over.

She noticed a huge damp spot that had darkened her bedspread.

"Oh… well I… it's no problem- you can-"

"-Can I take a shower?" He asked, smiling.

"Umm… well it might sting if-"

"I can take it" he interrupted again.

"Okay…"

Naruto grinned and walked behind her towards the bathroom.

"I um… if you want to leave your clothes by the door, I can throw them into the wash…" She offered, biting her nails.

"Okay, thank you." He said before walking into the bathroom and closing the door.

Why the heck was she being so timid? She found herself becoming increasingly nervous around him. As if she didn't want to be an idiot or be childish around him. But she still felt as though she sounded like some blubbering fool.

When she heard the shower turn on, she waited a minute before cracking the door open. She could see his shadow behind her shower curtain and she quickly stepped in to grab his clothes before shutting the door again.

She quickly walked out of her bedroom and to her laundry closet where she threw his clothing into the dryer. She would have washed them, but he would need something to wear when he got out and the rain had already taken care of the mud for the most part.

Turning the setting on high, Sakura went into the kitchen and prepared a small bowl of hot ramen. It even sounded good to her right now!

She began to sing softly to herself as she prepared the food and cleaned up a bit, throwing out her fruit from earlier and washing a few of the dishes.

It was really amazing what little fight in the field did for her. She wasn't suddenly all happy and careless, but she was better than before. This was something that she knew would take much time to heal. But Naruto had gotten her started down the road to recovery, and she was extremely grateful.

Her mind must have gone off to A.D.D land or something because she hadn't even realized that she disconnected until a sound brought her back.

"Ehem."

Sakura gasped and quickly turned around.

"Sorry to scare you again. But umm…" Naruto pointed to the towel wrapped around his waist sheepishly.

"Oh!" She exclaimed and ran to the dryer. Feeling his clothes, she noticed that his boxers were almost completely dry, but his pants and shirt would need a little longer…

Blushing faintly, she pulled the boxers out and restarted the dryer before walking back out to Naruto who was looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Uh… your shirt and pants need a little more time" She said, extending her arm out and handing him his boxers.

Naruto couldn't help but chuckle at her face.

"It's no problem, Sakura. I'll just put on the rest when they are dry." He smirked and headed back into her bathroom.

She placed her hand to her forehead and sighed as she walked back to the counter.

**'Yeah. You didn't look like an idiot at all.'** Scolded her inner.

'Shut it!'

**'I don't know how you could be embarrassed by that! You have had more embarrassing things happen lately than handing him a pair of his boxers.'**

'But it's Naruto!'

**'Ah whatever.'**

Frowning, Sakura poured the ramen into a bowl and set it on the table, along with a glass of water.

Naruto then walked out in just his boxers and looked at the table with a questioning look.

"Eh? Sakura-chan…what's this?" He asked.

"I made you some ramen" she smiled, trying to look him only in the eyes and ignore that face that he was standing there shirtless.

"No way!" He said with a bright smile before sitting down and taking in its delicious smell. He wasted no time in digging in and Sakura couldn't help but smile at that.

She sat down across from him and sipped at her own cup of water. Her eyes did drift down from his face, but she wasn't staring at him out of appreciation. She had taken notice to all the dark bruises and scrapes…

Naruto was at first completely oblivious because he was so focused on the delicious ramen that he was filling his belly with. The hot liquid felt great on his throat and really helped to warm his body. And that was all he was focused on right now. He didn't notice Sakura's examining eyes as they roamed the injuries all over his body. That is, not until he finally finished stuffing his face.

He looked up and saw the deep frown on her face and the slight glossiness to her eyes. Of course he was confused at first, but then he understood. He knew she'd be upset afterward… but his plan worked and that was what was most important.

"Sakura-" he stopped when she stood up out of her chair.

"Please follow me, Naruto." She said quietly and headed to her room.

Swallowing hard, Naruto stood and followed her as she asked.

She motioned him to sit on her bed and he complied.

Sakura saw that he was about to talk but ignored him and walk by, sitting behind him on the mattress. She looked at his back and the few scrapes on it. Slowly, she placed her delicate hands onto it-earning a hiss from Naruto and feeling all his muscles tense.

"Did I hurt you?" She asked quietly.

"No, your hands are just freezing…" he answered, still tense and a little unsure of Sakura's motives.

"Sorry…" she whispered. She slowly began to run her fingers lightly over the skin. First down the spine, and then slowly back up and over his shoulders. She smiled when she felt him relax and bent forward to place a light kiss on one of the scrapes. She got to her feet again, now walking around to face him.

Naruto scooted back and gave her room to sit in front of him, which she did.

Sakura sat on her knees and looked at him for a moment before placing her hands on his chest. She rested one hand on the crook of his neck and didn't break eye contact as she focused her healing chakra into the other, causing a bright green glow between them that reflected in his soft blue eyes and enhanced her green ones, as she began to heal a huge bruise just below his collar bone.

No words were said as she attentively worked on every bruise on his neck, arms, chest, and stomach. She focused on the task at hand; healing the damage that she caused.

Once finished, she took a few breaths and looked up at Naruto again. She noticed the start of a cut just under his shaggy bangs and reached up to move his hair out of the way. He had a huge gash…

She honestly couldn't remember at what time she had given it to him, but she did remember the amount of blood it produced earlier. Actually, she was surprised at first at just how much smaller the wound had gotten, until she remembered the fox's healing power. Smiling in understanding, she started to heal what was left of it.

"You're reckless, you know that?" She asked softly.

Naruto smiled warmly back. He was starting to see some of the Sakura he remembered. She was back to the name calling. "I've heard that once or twice." He chuckled.

She finished with his forehead and removed the hand that was holding the hair out of his face, causing it to fall back in place. She liked the way it looked on him and the way it brought attention to his eyes.

His face wasn't as swelled and bruised as it was before, but it still wasn't good. She placed a hand on either side of his face lightly and began to heal there.

Naruto sighed calmly and closed his eyes as he focused on the slight tingly sensation Sakura's healing chakra was giving him. He could feel the pain dulling more and more and was relieved that it was going away. He opened his eyes when he felt her hands disappear, now being replaced by the sensation of a single finger being slowly dragged across is lower lip.

"You have some cuts here too," she answered, noticing his confused expression.

She couldn't look him in the eyes when doing this because it was a little awkward for her. So she instead stared at his lips. They seemed perfect, really. At least, to her they did. They were slightly thinner than hers, and were smooth for the most part. Though there was a roughness to them.

Naruto sat completely still as she stared at his mouth and had to fight back any feeling of self consciousness …

With a soft smile she removed her hand and placed it back onto the crook of his neck, stroking it lightly with her thumb. She looked up at him and was pleased with the gentleness in his eyes.

"Do you feel better?" She asked quietly.

"Much." He smiled.

She smiled back and stared at him for a long moment. She saw that innocence in his eyes that she loved. When he had transformed into that man earlier, that innocence was absent. He had somehow achieved the coldness that the man held and she hated it.

Naruto noticed the changing of expressions as they played across her face. Sadness, confusion, wonder…

"Sakura…" He said quietly, breaking her trance.

"Huh?" She asked, coming back to reality.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked in almost a whisper. He would not let her dwell. She needed to communicate what she was thinking and feeling.

"I-nothing." She said with a smile.

"Not very convincing," he accused.

She stared at him for a long moment before sighing in defeat. "I was wondering how you transformed into that man so perfectly." She admitted, to which Naruto frowned a bit.

"A lot of observing, Sakura." He answered.

Sakura knew what he meant by 'observing' and grimaced. But there was more to it than that and she knew it…

"And?" She questioned.

"What do you mean 'and'?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Naruto, you didn't just match him perfectly in appearance. You- you acted just like him. His mannerisms and attitude… the way you talked to me and treated me… It scared me." She became serious.

Naruto flinched a bit at this. That was one of his biggest fears; frightening her. "I'm sorry I scared you," he apologized. He really meant it.

She shook her head, not saying that just for an apology. "How did you do it?" She asked.

Naruto didn't say anything at first and just frowned. This was a hard thing for him because it made him acknowledge a side of him that he usually tried so hard to pretend wasn't there.

"Sakura, when they made me watch as they…touched you… I was being consumed with so much rage…" He started.

"-But,"

"-No, I'm not done. I was being consumed with rage. And the kyuubi feeds off of my hate. At first I wasn't even paying attention to you. I was staring at the man hurting you… and only him. And because of my hatred, I noticed everything about him and hated every part of him. I took in his appearance, his language, his mannerisms, his demeanor, and the way he acted toward you. All the while the kyuubi was telling me all of the things I should do to him. But I'll spare you of that." He paused for a moment as he looked at her.

"When I transformed, the kyuubi kind of…helped me. He replayed actions of this man in my head and I worked off of that." He added.

"I see…" she said quietly.

Naruto placed his hand on Sakura's wrist and slowly guided it away from his neck. "Please turn around." He requested, releasing her wrist.

Sakura sat still for a moment but eventually obeyed. She carefully sat up turned herself so that her back was now facing him.

Naruto smiled and carefully placed his hands now onto her upper back, causing a similar reaction that he had when Sakura did this. She completely tensed and he noticed that her hands were grabbing the sheets a bit.

"Shhh. Relax, Sakura," He whispered and felt her only ease up a little.

He let his hands caress her back lightly before placing them close to the crooks of her neck. It was amazing to him; the differences between the male and female body. She was so slender and soft… her frame seemed so small and fragile beneath his larger hands. He would never understand how any man could take advantage of someone who was weaker than them. And he didn't mean that in an insulting way. A woman could work out every day and develop huge muscles, but they are still built differently than a man. Sakura was strong, but she was still so fragile…

He had seen hands grab at this very neck and abuse this very body. He would never understand…

Naruto began to grab carefully at the flesh as he messaged her neck, trying to be as gentle as possible. He could feel all the knots in her muscles and frowned. Her body was just so stiff. He started at the base of her neck and slowly worked his way up towards the base of her skull, earning a soft sigh from Sakura.

He felt her relax under his touch and he smiled at this. He wanted her to be as comfortable as possible.

Sakura was really enjoying the way he was touching her at the moment. She didn't even realize how badly she needed this until now. Her body had been put under so much stress… First when she was captured… she had nothing but the hard ground in those rooms. Then the hospital; she was sure she slept wrong because her body hurt when she woke up. And the fight with Naruto… not to mention the long walk home with him on her back. Yeah, she needed this.

Naruto continued his ministrations on her neck before letting his fingers trail down to her shoulders again. He lightly touched each of the thin spaghetti straps of her tank top and slowly started to push them to the sides. He watched Sakura carefully, ready to stop should she object. When she didn't, he let them slide off her shoulders, leaving the skin completely bare.

Sakura was blushing but was thankful that she had her back to him so that he wouldn't see. She let out a small moan of satisfaction as his rough and calloused fingers began to knead her skin, relaxing the muscles in her neck and shoulders. She couldn't suppress the shiver that went down her spine either when she felt those fingers feather over the sides of her neck and his lips press themselves to one of her shoulders.

Naruto leaned forward a bit more as he left small trails of kisses from her shoulders, to the crook of her neck, and up towards her ear. He moved some of her hair out of the way as he whispered to her quietly.

"I have a question for you now," He said.

Sakura bit her lip and sighed.

"Yes?"

"You said earlier that that man ruined your relationship with me. What did you mean?" He asked, kissing her neck softly.

Sakura frowned and said nothing. She had forgotten all about what she actually said when beating up Naruto.

"Sakura?"

When she shook her head, he got up this time and walked around to face her. He was amazed to see her cheeks slightly pink and he made a mental note of how attractive she looked, especially with her shoulders bare…

He lowered himself to a squat and reached up to brush he hair out of her face. "Sakura, please tell me." He requested with a soft expression.

She stared at him for a long time, debating on telling him. Not that it was a huge deal, but it was uncomfortable. She looked up to some random spot on her ceiling.

"What I meant was… it's now awkward to be around you." She said before looking down at him again. His expression hadn't really changed in any way except looking at her in a way that asked her to continue.

"Before it was a friendship thing. I could pop ya in the head and it was no big deal" she smiled. "But now…" she stopped, unsure of how to word what she wanted to say.

"Now?" He prodded.

"Naruto, you have seen me in a very…intimate way. In a way wouldn't want anyone to see unless I was… well, 'with them'. I was very vulnerable and also very weak." She said, the blush returning to her face.

Naruto nodded, somewhat understanding what she was saying. "And this ruined our relationship by…"

"By causing me to feel filthy and gross next to you. I feel like you only see me out of pity. Like… like a porcelain doll that was thrown in the dump and covered in other's garbage, then brought home and set on a shelf. You look at it and remember the doll, you can still see its beauty, but you don't actually want to touch it because it was just lying amongst everyone's garbage and is now soiled." She said, her eyes watering a little.

Naruto's expression changed. He didn't know how she could possibly think that way. Well, he could… but he would never think that way!

"Sakura, I do not see you that way…" He started, but she looked down at her lap, not believing what he was telling her.

To her, it sounded like platitudes.

Naruto reached up and lifted her chin to look at him. "Sakura, if I didn't want to touch you…I wouldn't do this." He said before leaning forward and kissing her.

* * *

Da da da daa

da da da daaa

da da da daaaaaaaaaaaa~~~~

Haha and there is chapter 10! I hope you guys enjoyed it! :D As always... minimum of 5 reviews. And I mean it this time [seriousy face] That means... until I see that number go from 41 to 46(at least) I won't update 0:) Love you all!


	11. AN please read

**AN!**

Hello everyone! I wanted to write a quick apology for taking so long to update. I am incredibly busy and find it difficult to continue with certain aspects of this story. Since I am writing this anyway, I want to take this time to also clarify a couple things.

First, I take no joy in writing some of this content. In fact... it is difficult for me to do so. And that is one of the reasons I have yet to upload the next chapter. Not that the content is 'bad' per-se. But I don't want to mislead anyone. It was difficult to write the earlier chapters, and I am truly sorry if I offended or hurt anyone who has read them. I thank God I have never experienced such trauma, and I cannot understand what it would be like to go through it. When I write such chapters, I almost imagine how I'd respond, what I would think etc... and I wanted a deeper connection between Naruto and Sakura. Sometimes, I think the greatest of love comes trough pains in life. Maybe not to such an extent, but to me it makes their bond more real. I also do not like writing any sexual content for fear of causing bad thoughts for my readers. I do not want you to fall into sin in what you read. I don't want to cause lustful temptation or anything... and I have considered more than once to delete this story. Please answer honestly, has my story had any of the listed effects on any of you? Like I said, I am sorry for taking so long and I thank all of you who have reviewed thus far, and all who have stuck with the story. I hope to have an update SOON!


	12. An Item

**HEEEEY! I am alive! I thank those who responded to my AN, and encourage those of you have not not read it to do so. I tried to clear some stuff up there. And I was feeling generous so I thought I'd update. Sorry for taking so long! And you guys were awesome with reviews on the previous chapters, so thank you! On that note, please enjoy _An Item_**.

* * *

_RECAP: _

_"Sakura, I do not see you that way…" He started, but she looked down at her lap, not believing what he was telling her._

_ To her, it sounded like platitudes._

_ Naruto reached up and lifted her chin to look at him. "Sakura, if I didn't want to touch you…I wouldn't do this." He said before leaning forward and kissing her._

* * *

**An Item_  
_**

Sakura's eyes widened slightly before closing. She was sure that she'd never get used to that. To him.

She pulled away slightly, almost hesitantly, and looked down at Naruto, smiling when blue eyes peered up at her. Curious, she allowed her fingers to touch his lips again.

Naruto remained unmoving as she did this, his lips tingling from her touch.

"Why do you keep touching my lips, Sakura?" He asked quietly against her fingers, smiling slightly.

She couldn't help the hint of pink that tinted her cheeks and she bit her lip in embarrassment. Little did she know, Naruto was watching her mouth quite closely as she did this.

"I-I don't know.." She pulled her hand away.

"Sakura."

"Well… I had become so used to those assholes kissing me. Not once did I actually like it…it was disgusting…"

Naruto couldn't help the small frown that he gave.

"B-but… as weird as it sounds… I love your lips."

He just stared at her with no expression to hint to what he was thinking.

"I… well I mean… your kisses aren't disgusting! I actually like it… I…" She was speaking out of nervousness now. She sounded like a damn fool.

Naruto couldn't keep the straight face any longer and burst out laughing.

Meanwhile poor Sakura stared in utter confusion, slightly embarrassed. What just happened?

He looked at her, giving her that crooked smile of his, and brushed some hair out of her face.

"Well that's great news, Sakura.."

"What? I-"

"-Because I loooove your lips too!" He smiled, to which Sakura couldn't help but giggle.

Naruto leaned in and captured her mouth once again, both of them smiling against the other. He followed Sakura as she scooted back carefully, neither of them parting as they did so.

Sakura jerked when Naruto suddenly tickled her sides and burst out in laughter. She was super ticklish!

"Naru-AH!" She squealed, laughing as her body instinctively tried to get away from his torturous hands.

"What is it, Sakura?" He laughed, hitting another spot. "A little ticklish, are we?"

"Naruto st-ah-op!" she fell onto her back and pushed her hands lightly against his chest. Her hair fanned out around her head on her pillow and her chest was heaving as she regained her breath due to the amount of laughter.

"…what are you staring at?" She asked; a huge smile plastered on her face unconsciously.

Naruto's face however had become soft as he smiled warmly down at her.

"You. You look absolutely beautiful." He answered honestly, earning a small smile from her. He leaned down and kissed her softly, balancing his weight on his arms.

Sakura raised her hands up and placed her fingers onto his neck as she pulled him into a deeper kiss.

They went on like this for a while until Sakura felt Naruto's hand rest on her waist and slowly travel upwards.

Her body moved on its own and she noticed that she was pushing her chest forward and squirming the slightest bit; her body beckoning for his hand to reach its destination faster.

He seemed to have gotten the message because he slid his burning hand up so that it was resting just underneath her breast, pushing against it the slightest bit.

Her mind protested then and she quickly moved a hand from his neck and placed it onto his, stopping him.

"Naruto…" She said, pulling away from their heated kiss.

He looked down at her, slightly worried.

"What is it? Did I do something wrong?" He asked quietly.

Sakura smiled and shook her head.

"Not at all." She brushed his bangs from his eyes with her free hand.

"Then why…?" Naruto didn't understand…

"I-I think this is all just happening too fast.." She answered, blushing.

Naruto's first response was to want to deny it. To deny that he wasn't trying anything… but he quickly corrected himself. He was so into the moment with her, he was sure he'd go all the way of she let him. He loved her. Loved being with her… but she was right. It was much too soon.

With a smile, he removed his hand from beneath her top and kissed her lightly on her forehead.

"You're right." He agreed and sat back up.

Sakura noticed the sudden space immediately as a small breeze from the room swept over her, cooling her down from the heat that was between them.

Nodding, she slowly sat up and brushed some loose strands of hair behind her ear.

"I'll uh, I'll go check your clothes." She smiled before clumsily crawling out of bed.

Sakura got to her feet and fixed her shirt, putting the straps back in place, and walked quickly out of her room, feeling Naruto's gaze on her the whole time. The minute she rounded a nearby corner she put her back against the wall and let out a long sigh. It was amazing to her… Approximately 5 days ago they were just really good friends. Now he was in her house, and they had just been…well, rather intimate. It was amazing just how quickly things can happen.

She took a few deep breaths and quickly retrieved Naruto's clothes from the drier. They were definitely dry now.

Naruto in the mean time waited patiently on her bed. He too couldn't believe he had just been kissing Sakura. He'd always wanted to; Ever since he was little. But he couldn't believe the time had actually come. He was glad it did though. In fact, he felt elated. He had won the heart of his dear Sakura Chan, even if it was because he had saved her…

When she came back into the room, he smiled as she brought his clothes to him.

"Well what do you know? They're dry now." She laughed.

He smiled and shook his head. "Thank you," he said, receiving them. He wasted no time in putting them on.

Sakura smiled and headed into her bathroom to brush her teeth and clean her face before going to bed. We couldn't go to sleep with dirty skin now, could we? You breakout when you do that! Anyway… She ran her fingers through her hair and pulled it up into a loose bun. Feeling satisfied with her appearance, she exited the bathroom and flicked off the light to her bedroom.

"Whoa!" Naruto's voice said from the darkness, clearly caught off guard.

Sakura laughed and walked around to the other side of the bed, pulling back her covers.

"Uh… shouldn't I be on the couch or something?" she heard him ask as she slid into bed.

"Naruto… it's fine." Was he serious? They were definitely comfortable enough with each other to sleep in the same bed. She laid her head onto her pillow, feeling Naruto do the same beside her, and sighed in contentment. It felt so unbelievably good to finally be in her own bed! She never remembered it being this comfortable before…

"Seriously Sakura…" Naruto said again. He felt slightly uncomfortable. He was going to be sleeping beside her!

"Naruto… I need your support. Just in case I have any issues tonight (which she was certain she would), that is after all why Tsunade made you spend the night, isn't it?" That would surely work. He couldn't argue with that one.

With a sigh, Naruto agreed and decided he'd just get over it and get comfortable. "Well um, goodnight then, Sakura-Chan." He smiled before rolling over and closing his eyes.

Sakura couldn't help but smile. "Goodnight, Naruto." She answered quietly and she too rolled over so her back was facing his. It didn't take long for either of them to fall asleep.

* * *

Sakura could feel herself getting all worked up as a pair of wet lips made their way just beneath her jaw and met her earlobe, along with hot moist breath that sent shivers down her spine. She didn't know what was causing this feeling, but she knew it was unwanted. There was a filthy feeling about it… and it was familiar.

Why was it cool and dark?

That was all her senses would allow her to pick up right now. It was dark, cool, and her body was responding to the presence above her.

She jumped then when she heard a loud slam, from a door she presumed, and sighed when the unwelcomed presence lifted from her.

"What the fuck?" She flinched again when a loud voice came from behind her.

Startled and confused, she lifted herself from off the hard ground (wait… the ground?) and turned to look at the source of the voice.

She wished she hadn't.

With a loud gasp she took in the sight of Naruto, standing in front of some doorway, staring at her… he looked so… hurt.

No way!

She quickly whipped her had back around to see… that man… that disgusting man… standing right near her with that smirk on his face that she hated so much.

That damned smile that always flashed in her mind.

It all crashed into her then. She knew where she was! She was back in that Godforsaken room again!

No…

And she knew what happened next. She knew what awful scene this was.

Sakura turned again quickly, urgent to stop this from happening.

"No!" She shrieked, startling Naruto.

"Naruto, no! Run away right now!" She demanded, her eyes pleading with him. She was crying now. Just like then.

It was weird. It was almost like she was standing outside of it all, two bodies, but the same person, watching it all play out but also experiencing it, already knowing everything that was to happen. And instead of being fortunate enough to only stand on the outside, she was herself… in her own body again, but helpless to do anything as her body acted on its own according to the series of past events. She couldn't say any of the words she was thinking. The only words to come out were the lines that she spoke back then…

"Sakura-Chan…what-"

"-no! Naruto, please go!" She sobbed, finally standing to her feet.

She noticed that he looked as though he were about to throw up. He looked horrified. What? Was she that scary to look at?

Oh yeah…. She was.

"Sakura I...What did they do to you!" He stepped forward, now sounding angrier.

"Please go, Naruto… This was all a set up! They want you, not me!" She cried.

She could feel a man's presence approaching them and watched as bastard number two stood between her and Naruto.

"What the fuck did you do to her!" He demanded, clenching his fists dangerously.

Sakura didn't like seeing him so angry.

Immediately two more men showed up in the hallway, and before she could say anything they had already come up behind Naruto.

"Naruto!" She yelled, as they lunged at him.

She watched in horror as he began to fight the three men. It was three to one! That wasn't fair!

She felt herself begin to move to stand up and help him but then felt something hard hit her in the back of her legs, causing her to collapse on her hands and knees.

'Shit!'

That's when she cried out in pain as she felt her hair get pulled back and whimpered when an incredibly sharp kunai was placed to her throat.

The room stilled and everyone was staring at her again.

"Let her go!" She heard Naruto demand.

'Poor Naruto… he has no idea what is about to happen.' But she did. And she dreaded it.

"Then don't fight!" she heard the man say behind her.

She saw Naruto look at her again, a deep scowl on his face.

"Naruto don't worry about me!" She ordered, whimpering when her hair was yanked a bit. "Please…" She looked at him so worryingly, trying so hard to plead with him.

He never took his eyes off her. She could see the great dilemma in his face…and then… then those apologetic eyes…

'No!'

"Fine."

Then it happened. Those men were on him immediately and now leading him to a corner.

"No no! Let him go! Please!" She cried desperately and felt her body move forward.

"Mind you're place!" The man yelled behind her and pulled her back towards him.

There was a bunch of talking after that, which she remembered to be the part where the bastard explained the whole 'plot' to Naruto. She wasn't listening though. She was only staring at Naruto now. She had an opportunity to really see his face. Oh God… he was hurting so much.

She was interrupted when she felt hot breath cover her ear in a whisper, telling her to get on the ground; which she did.

And of course she could see Naruto protesting.

"So being the little whore that she is, she offered herself over to us willingly. That is why she's here now." He knelt down beside her.

God she hated this man!

"And she's such an obedient little bitch. She fulfilled her role perfectly in drawing you in." He said proudly, pressing Sakura into the ground a little and earning a soft cry.

"Sakura!" She heard Naruto call her name. He was being drained of his chakra…

"In case you were wondering, you are currently being drained of your chakra." He said nonchalantly.

"Fuck you!" Sakura yelled up at him. Ah yes, that foul mouth of hers; Courtesy of her captors.

She felt the side of her face pressed into the ground and that damned kunai placed to the back of her neck.

"Yes, I will fuck you." He laughed as he waved bastard number two over.

Panic and rage filled her body then and she began to thrash around, hoping to release their hold on her. She could feel two sets of hands pawing at her, trying to roll her onto her back.

"No!"She cried, trying her hardest to swat the hands away.

"Fuckin' hold her down!" The man ordered and bastard number two frowned. He tried to get hold of her arms but she had moved them in front of her and was now clawing at the ground, trying her hardest to pull her body forward and away from them.

"Damn, she's fighting back more this time." He said amusingly.

The rest was a blur. All she knew was that her body hurt and she was now flat on her back with her arms pinned above her head. And then… there were disgusting kisses being placed all over her neck and face.

"No! Please… please stop!" She wailed, her face red and eyes leaking those blasted tears. Damn.

"Stop your crying, slut!" The man ordered, slapping her across the face.

"Sakura! Fucking bastards, let her go!" She heard Naruto yell.

Relief washed over her when she felt the man temporarily pause. But that relief was short lived.

"No. And I'd be careful now if I were you. She served her purpose. If you even start to make your way over here, I promise you I will kill her." He said seriously, showing him the kunai to further convince him.

She saw the man smile down at her and felt his hands slide up her shirt, massaging her breasts. She just cried as she felt him suck on her neck.

"You know, this is really turning Naruto on." He said evilly. "Go ahead and moan for him." He said and brushed over her nipples.

And she did before letting out a little sob, looking up at the ceiling. She felt his hands leave her chest and began to work on the buttons of her shorts, tugging at them teasingly.

"No!" She yelled and attempted to wiggle away from him.

'Sakura…'

The man cupped her face.

'Sakura…'

* * *

"Sakura!" Her eyes shot open and she lunged forward, flinching as though she had just been burned when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

She whipped her head to look at who touched her and saw Naruto. She couldn't tell if he looked more frightened or concerned.

It was a nightmare… it wasn't real…

Thank God.

She sat in silence for a short while, catching her breath and scanning her dark bedroom with her eyes.

Not real…

Sakura was then aware of the dampness to her skin and her tensed muscles, her hands holding her blankets in a death grip.

That's when it started to sink in. Tears of frustration pooled in her eyes and she stared down at her sheets.

"Sakura…" She heard Naruto speak her name softly beside her.

Biting her lip, she turned her body searching for contact with Naruto, and hugged him loosely.

Naruto of course hugged her in return and rubbed light circles on her back soothingly, whispering things like 'It's okay' and 'I'm here' or 'you're alright now'.

But he knew it was not okay.

He carefully guided her to lie back down to go to sleep, this time keeping her close. He prayed she would not me tormented again tonight.

* * *

Sakura found herself waking up to what sounded like a series of knocking. Though, she didn't know why.

Sitting up, she winced from the blood flowing back to her head, and also the brightness of her room. How long had she been sleeping?

She glanced at her clock that sat on her nightstand and saw that it was just after noon.

Shocked, she looked around her room and then down at her side to see Naruto was not there beside her. But before panic could kick in, she heard that knocking again, followed by a pause, and then some… voices?

Sakura quickly hopped out of bed, folded her arms over her chest, and trotted out from her room to see Naruto in the distance standing at her –opened- front door. Relief washed over her just from seeing him. There was something about his company that eased her.

That's when she made eye contact with him. He looked… annoyed?

Raising a thin eyebrow, she approached him at the doorway and her eyes widened when she saw her best friend standing there, now looking at her wide-eyed.

"F-forehead?" She questioned, slightly high pitched.

"Ino." She nodded.

Sakura now understood the annoyed look Naruto had given her. Ino had that effect on people.

The blonde's eyes jumped back and forth between Sakura and Naruto, and it took a minute before Sakura understood what Ino was questioning, and her cheeks reddened slightly.

Oh God… what this must have looked like to her. She was very, well, indecent for regular company to be over.

Ino just walked on in and stared at Naruto, looking him up and down, almost examining him.

"Please… come on in" Naruto muttered quietly under his breath in sarcasm.

"So um, Ino, what brings you by?" Sakura asked, hoping to divert her attention.

Ino folded her arms in front of her and shifted her weight onto one leg.

"Well, I get word that my best friend is carried into the village after being held captive for about 3 days, alive, and when I go to see her at the hospital, she's not even there." She started.

When it looked as though Sakura was about to speak, Ino raised her delicate finger, and continued.

"Theeeen when I ask about what actually happened, people seem to avoid answering. And so when I figure I will talk to you myself, they tell me you have been sent home. So what do I do? I come over to see you. And what do I find Sakura? What do I find?" She asked, thinly groomed eyebrows raised high with expectation.

Sakura just stared, knowing Ino would finish her rhetorical question.

"I will tell you, Haruno. I find him (she gestured her hand towards Naruto) answering your door. But that's not even the part that shocks me. Then here you come, clearly just rolled out of bed, wearing next to nothing. You even have to cover your chest up and-"

"Ino. Shut it." Naruto cut her off, clearly irritated. He knew Ino had the tendency to babble on with her opinions, but she was just being rude.

Ino rolled her eyes and looked to Sakura. "So what then, Sakura? Are you two an item now?" She asked, some of the attitude fading, but not entirely.

Sakura allowed the pink to leave her cheeks and frowned.

"No, we're not…" She hesitated. It would appear that they were… but nothing was ever made official… She looked over at Naruto, unsure of the answer.

Naruto looked at her for a moment and smiled before turning to Ino. "Actually, yes, we are." He corrected, to which Sakura couldn't help but hide a small smile.

At this, Ino seemed to deflate a bit. "Oh… I see. Well, Lady Tsunade also asked me to let you know that she'd like to see you later around 4. I've got things to do, so I'm gonna to get going." She said, cutting her visit short.

Sakura watched as her friend walked away and yelled that she'd give her a call later. When Ino didn't even respond, she frowned and let out a sigh before closing her door.

Turning, she met Naruto's gaze and half smiled. "She's mad at me." She stated before walking up to him. "Soo… we're an item now?" She grinned.

Naruto chuckled lightly and leaned down to place a light kiss on the top of her head. "Yes, if you want us to be."

* * *

**:B So there it is! An Item! Please please please review and let me know what you think! I will update when I see I am close to 70 reviews :) Teeheee. What do you guys think is going to happen? **

**ALSOOOO if there are any artists reading this, or you just love to draw, I would LOVE to see some fanart to my story. I know how I picture it in my head, but I'd love to see your interpretation or what you envision when reading this story. I might even have a designated section in my next chappy of artwork, should you choose to do any. I'd love to see it! Please send me a link to your image if you do :) **

**Rememberrrr... 70ish reviews pwease! **


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